


Lost Connections

by shopgirl152



Series: Lost Connections [1]
Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Action & Romance, Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Attempted Kidnapping, Band life, Bridgette Oshinomi, Canon Divergence, Comfort/Angst, Dipper Pines - Freeform, Drama, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Family Relationships - Freeform, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father/daughter roadtrip, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gravity Falls Oregon, Gravity falls cameos, Greasy's Diner, Grief, Heartbreak, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Life on the Road, Loss, Love, Mabel Pines - Freeform, Melancholy, Mother-Daughter Relationship, NaNoWriMo 2017, Roadtrip, Romance, Soos - Freeform, TV News, The Mystery Shack, Tour life, Unexpected Dad, Unexpected Father, being a father, being in a band, milo murphy's law reference in one chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-07-06 21:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 23,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15894930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopgirl152/pseuds/shopgirl152
Summary: It's been fifteen years since Phineas last saw Isabella. In that time period, Summer Still Rocks has risen from the bottom to the top of the heap, playing to sold out stadiums and trading in sleeping in the van for hotel suites. Despite the success, Phineas still feels an emptiness and lonliness he can't seem to shake. But when a fifteen year old girl shows up one night claiming to be his daughter, he finds himself on a journey with the daughter he never knew, to rescue the woman he never stopped loving.





	1. Swept Away (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Set three years after Act Your Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For thirteen years, Phineas and Isabella have remained friends. But when both decide to make the first move and ask the other out during a tour stop, they find themselves swept away by the lights, the music...and the promise of things to come.

_From your blue jeans to your shoes_  
_girl that night was just like you_  
_unforgettable_  
_\--Unforgettable, Thomas Rhett_

"I'm doing it Ferb. Tonight, after the show, I'm asking Isabella out."

The bassist dropped the cymbal he was holding, cringing at the loud clang that reverberated throughout the bar. "What?"

"I said 'tonight after the show, I'm asking Isabella out.'"

"What brought this on?"

"Yeah Dinnerbell; I thought ya said you two were permantely in the friend zone," Buford added as he walked up.

"I did. But lately, my feelings for her have been getting stronger and stronger and, well, she's never asked anybody else out and if I don't do something--"

"Someone else will." Buford smirked. "Took ya long enough."

"What took long enough?" Isabella asked, walking up. She looked between the three men. "Hey guys. What's going on?" Neither one answered. "Oo...kaayy..." she pointed over her shoulder. "We're all set; the bar owner said we have everything we need for the show tonight. We just need to make sure we get paid before we leave."

"Absolutely." Phineas nodded.

"Umm, Phineas?" Isabella suddenly looked nervous. "Would you like to get a drink with me before the show? Just the two of us?"

"WHAT?!" Buford exclained. Ferb's jaw dropped. The two quickly recovered. "I...need ta check the drums. Not sure the bar owner set 'em up properly." He scurried backstage, Ferb trotting at his heels.

"Well that was weird," the lead vocalist mused. He shrugged at the odd reaction, turning his attention back to Isabella. "Sorry. To answer your question, I'd love to get a drink with you. But...why just the two of us? Buford and Ferb are part of the band too."

"Because if you're not going to make the first move, then I am." Isabella refrained from rolling her eyes at the red head's puzzled expression. "Phineas, I'm asking you out. On a date. Do you want to go out for drinks with me before the show or not?"

"Date?" He blinked at her, realization dawning. "Isabella, I would _love_ to go on a date with you."

Across the way, Buford and Ferb watched the pair gaze into each other's eyes before walking off. The bassist extended an open hand to the drummer, rubbing the tips of his fingers together expectantly.

Buford growled, pulling his wallet from his shortts pocket and opening it. "Alright fine." He pulled a twenty from it, slapping it into Ferb's open palm. "Here's your lousy twenty bucks."

* * *

 

"Phineas, you're drunk."

"No I'm not."

Isabella snorted, taking a sip of the mangorita she was drinking. "Yeah right. You're more wasted than I am."

"Not true," he protested, raising a finger. "I'm sober." She raised a brow. "Okay. I'm drunk. That better?"

"Not really," she teased. "Didn't think our first date would lead to this." Her voice softened. "I'm really glad I asked you out."

"Me too." He reached across the bar, taking her hand.

"Mind if I cut in?" A tall, scruffy looking man appeared next to them. He leered at Isabella, leaning on her arm so they were forced to let go. "Hey Doll, why don't you ditch this loser and come with me?"

"Sorry. I happen to like him. A lot."

Phineas sat up straighter, smirking at the unwanted newcomer. "Yeah. Get lost. She likes _me_." He shook his head, directing his attention to Isabella. "How much is a lot?"

"A lot a lot."

He returned his attention to the other man. "She likes me a lot a lot. So get lost, you--" he stood up, taking a half hearted swing at the man, missing and hitting the brass rail on the bar. "Ow."

Isabella rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and leading him to the dance floor. "Smooth Phin."

"Really?"

"No. That was dumb." She gave him a warm smile. "But the intention was good. It was really sweet." She took one of his hands in hers, wrapping her other arm around his waist, leading him across the dance floor.

"Isabella, what's your middle name?"

She smirked. "Guess."

"Garcia."

She laughed out loud. "That's my last name."

"Oh right. You married a Mexican-Jewish man."

"Those are my Mother's and Father's last names. Garcia. Shapiro. You know this. You also know that I'm not married."

"You're not?"

She giggled. "No."

"Well that's good for me then." He paused, seemingly lost in thought. "Do you even _have_ a middle name?"

"Ask and you'll find out."

_Thirty minutes later..._

"Angelina?"

"Nope."

"Fredricka?"

"No."

"Willamena?"

"No."

"Fish face?"

Isabella laughed. "Okay, now you're just making things up."

"Yo Dinnerbell! Girlie!" Buford hollered across the bar at them. "We're on in ten! Get yer butts to the stage!"

"Well, guess we're on." Isabella knocked back the shot she was drinking, seting the glass resolutely on the bar. The red head's jaw dropped and she smirked. "What? Didn't think I could hold my liquor? You're not the only one who can drink around here." He gaped at her. "Come on, you heard Buford; we have to go. Remember, you're on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, I'm singing lead."

* * *

 

"Izzy, I don't feel so good..." Phineas bent over, his face pale. "Think I mighta had to much to drink."

"Here." Buford thrust a water bottle in his face. "Chug it, then go pee it out."

"I don't think I can..." he blanched.

Isabella shot the drummer a disapproving look. "Phineas, listen to me." She placed both hands on the red head's shoulders, forcing him to focus on her. "You are Phineas Flynn. The lead vocalist of Summer Still Rocks. Soon to be the hottest act on the planet." He smiled warmly at her. "Now you're going to suck it up, go out there and play."

The smile disappeared. "But Isabella, I don't think I can. I'm no good to you if I can't play rthym guitar."

"First off, you shouldn't have drank that much alcohol. Second..." she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, kissing him. "Maybe this'll sober you up." She went to pull away, only for the red head to pull her close, the two making out. After several seconds, they pulled away, still holding on to each other. "Mmm..." Isabella smiled, eyes half closed. "Well. That was worth the wait."

He returned the smile. "Yes. Yes it was."

"Sober now?"

"Definitely more sober than I was a moment ago."

"Good." She patted his cheek, heading toward the wings, only for the red head to stop her.

"Isabella?"

"Yes?" She turned around.

"I'm gonna marry you."

She laughed. "One step at a time Phin. We just got together."

"And now, the Florabama Bar proudly presents, for your listening pleasure, the up and coming band from the small town of Danville Californa, Summer...Still...Rocks!"

Isabella kissed him on the cheek. "We're on." She confidently walked onstage, the red head following behind, taking his place behind one of the microphones. Isabella grabbed the lead mic from the stand, working the room. "Hey everyone! We're Summer Still Rocks!" A few whoops went up from the crowd. "Well that's a nice welcome." She smiled. "Before we get started, I'd like to introduce the band. She motioned for the spotlight, then pointed to the drums. "On drums is my good friend Buford Van Stomm."

Buford played a quick drum solo, saluting the crowd with a drumstick.

"On bass guitar and backing vocals is my other good friend, Ferb Fletcher." Ferb bowed, playing several chords on the guitar. "On rhythm guitar and backing vocals tonight is..." she paused, glancing at the red head a moment before addressing the crowd. "Is my best friend..." she stole another glance at him, mouthing the words 'and more' at him before turning back to the crowd. "Phineas Flynn. He's usually on lead vocals and lead guitar, but has graciously allowed me to sing lead tonight."

Phineas glanced to the side, hiding a blush.

"I'm very lucky to travel with these guys. They're my best friends and we've been through a lot together on the road. I'm Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. Normally rythm guitar and backing vocals, lead vocalist and lead guitar tonight. But enough about me; are you guys ready for some music?!"

"Yeah!"

Isabella motioned for the guys to start playing, Phineas starting off on rhythm guitar, Ferb coming in on bass, followed by Isabella. "Day after day I'm more confused. Yet I look through the light through the pouring rain. You know that's a game that I hate to lose. And I'm feeling the strain, oh ain't it a shame."

Phineas and Ferb came in on backing vocals, singing in unison with Isabella. "Oh gimmie the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away. Gimmie the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away--"

"Won't you take me away?" Isabella sang. "Beginning to think that I'm wasting time. I don't understand the things I do. The world outside looks so unkind."

"And I'm counting on you," Phineas sang.

"You can carry me through." Him and Isabella sang in unison, Ferb coming back in on bass. "Oh gimmie the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away. Gimmie the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away."

Phineas stepped up to the mic, singing into it with his eyes closed, lost in the rhythm and music. "And when my mind is free, no melody can move me. When I'm feeling blue, guitar's coming through to soothe me."

Isabella came back in, her and the red head alternating lines. "Thanks for the joy that you've given me."

"Oh the joy that you've given me."

"I want you to know that I believe in your song."

"Oh yeah."

"Rhythm and rhyme and harmony."

Phineas hummed into the microphone. "Mmm..."

"You help me along," Isabella sang.

"Making me strong."

Phineas and Isabella sang in unison. "Oh you're making me strong..."

* * *

 

_Later that night..._

"Isabella, are you sure you wanna do this?" Phineas reclined on the bed, watching Isabella walk across the room. "I mean, we've never done this before and--" he stopped, watching as she took her purple sweater off, revealing a black lacy bra underneath. "Um. Maybe we should--uh, wait."

"I want this. Don't you feel the electricity? There's something between us."

"There's been something between us for thirteen years. Are you sure you're still not a little buzzed from the last couple of shots we did?" His eyes trailed over to the shot glasses lined up underneath the T.V. "I know I'm still a little--" his words were cut off as Isabella captured his lips with hers. She reached a hand out, fingers unbuttoning his shirt before placing a kiss to his chest. She gently pushed him down to the bed and he complied, eyes never leaving hers as she leaned over and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging them into darkness...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. As I was writing this, I decided that after awhile, Phinabella's friends got so tired of them dancing around each other that they started taking bets on who would ask who out first.
> 
> 2\. I've always loved the idea of Isabella asking Phineas out.


	2. Chapter 1

_Fifteen years later_

A darkened hotel room. A tangle of arms and legs. Heavy breathing.

"Ungh."

"Ungh."

"Ungh."

"Almost there."

"Izzy, I can't..."

"I can hear your heart beating. It's pounding."

"Do you think we'll stay like this forever?"

"Ungh."

Lying in bed with his arms wrapped around her after intercourse. The sound of his rapidly beating heart. His bare skin against hers. Being held by him for the first time in her life, not wanting anything more than that weekend. That moment. Promising to make the next three days count before she had to leave...

The bar. The lights. The music. His voice. Everything twirling faster and faster.

"Phineas..." she reached for him, pleading. "I'm so sorry."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I don't know I don't know I don't know. I didn't know if..."

Crying. She was crying in front of him, begging for his forgiveness. What had she done? Who was she kidding? He'd never forgive her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you you were--"

"Mom."

A break through the pain. The haze. The sorrow from out of nowhere that threatened to drown her. "Don't leave me."

"MOM." The voice was louder.

Pause.

Slowly gaining consciousness...

"MOM! Mom, wake up. I heard a crash downstairs."

Isabella stirred, the dream dissolving as she pried open moist, bleary eyes. "Abby...?"

"Mom! Wake up!" The fifteen year old shook her, trying to rouse her. "I heard a crash downstairs. And voices."

She groaned, slowly sitting up, trying to get her bearings. She yawned. "I'm sure it's nothing. Probably the neighbors down the street. You know how they love to throw parties."

"This wasn't--I mean, it isn't them. The voices belong to someone else."

Isabella swung her legs over the side of the bed, stuffing her feet into a pair of fuzzy purple slippers. "If it makes you feel better, I'll go downstairs and check." She walked out of the bedroom and down the hall, tiptoeing downstairs. Halfway down, she heard voices.

"Thor! Don't break anything else! Do you _want_ them to hear us?!" The sound of more crashing was heard.

"How come you get to break things?"

"I don't break things idiot. There's a difference between breaking and entering and _breaking and entering_ , know what I'm saying?" A long pause. "Nevermind. Get back to work! We have to find that blueprint!"

"Blueprint?" Isabella mouthed the word, slowly putting the pieces together.

"But Thaddeus, why do I always hafta be the one--"

Isabella gasped. It couldn't be, could it? That was years ago. But...

"What blueprint we lookin for anyway?"

"The Space Laser Inator. Once we modify this blueprint, we can get rid of everybody in the entire world and rule it all!" A manicial laugh sounded.

"But if we get rid of all the people, then how will we rule the world?"

Isabella crept further down the stairs, hoping she wasn't right. She caught sight of a silloutte against the window. A triangle shaped head. Glasses that glinted in the moonlight. Curly hair.

She whipped around, taking the stairs two at a time, sprinting down the hall and into the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Abigail looked up from her phone, watching as her Mom dove inside the closet, tossing out several clothes before opening a safe. She arched a brow. "Since when do we have a safe?"

"Abby, I need you to take this blueprint and get out of the house immediately. Once you're a safe distance away, I need you to find your Father and give the blueprint to him. He'll know what to do."

The fifteen year old gaped at her. "I can't find Dad! I don't know who he is! Everytime I ask about him, you change the subject!"

Isabella put both hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Abigail, listen to me; this is a life or death situation. There are two men downstairs who want to use this blueprint for world domination. They will stop at nothing until they find it." Aby's eyes widened as Isabella pushed the blueprint into her hand. "You can use your gps tracker to find Dad."

"The GPS Tracker 8000 doesn't just find anyone. I need to have geographic coordinates and what they look like. At the very least I need a DNA sample. And I don't know who Dad is. How is that supposed to help?"

Isabella reached under her bed, pulling out a box and rummaging inside. She plucked something from it, handing it to Abigail.

Abby raised a brow at the compact disc. "A Summer Still Rocks CD? What's that got to do with Dad?"

"Turn it over."

The fifteen year old turned it over, reading the back cover. "Drums, Buford Van Stomm. Bass Guitar and Backing Vocals, Ferb Fletcher. Rhythm Guitar..." she frowned. "Wait. You were _in_ Summer Still Rocks?"

"Keep reading."

"Lead Guitar and Lead Vocals, Phineas Flynn. So?"

"Phineas Flynn is your father."

Abby scoffed. "The lead singer of the hottest band on the planet is my Father. Sure Mom."

The faintest of smiles touched Isabella's lips. "I always knew they'd make it big..."

"Mom, he can't possibly be--"

"Thor! Over here! I think it might be in here!" The door knob jiggled. "Get over here! I need some muscle to break down the door!"

Abby's eyes widened as she stared at the door. "Mom..."

"Abby, I'm sorry to do this you. I know it's a lot to take in and I wish I had more time to explain, but--" Isabella was cut off as a loud bang came from the other side of the door.

"Just a couple more pushes Thor!"

"You need to go. Now." Isabella grabbed a coil of rope from the foot of her bed, tossing one end out the window before tying the other end around the bedpost. She pressed a finger to her lips in a 'shh' gesture, motioning Abby to slide down the rope.

The fifteen year old took a cautious step forward, peering over the sill at the two story drop.

Isabella wrapped her in a tight hug, whispering in her ear. "I know you're scared, but you're brave, resourceful and smart." She pulled away, cupping her daughter's face in her hands. "You're so much like your Father." She reached behind her, removing the pink bow from her hair and handing it to Abigail. "If he doesn't believe you, give him this." Abby nodded, stuffng the bow into the pocket of her jeans. "Now go."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Abby hitched a leg over the window ledge, grabbing the rope and sliding down it, hitting the ground with a soft "oof."

From above, a loud crack was heard, followed by a voice.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here Thor. An ex-member of Summer Still Rocks. Now, why don't you be a good girl and tell me where you hid the blueprint."

"I won't tell you anything! This is my house! Get out!"

From down below, Abigail gave a silent cheer.

"Yeah...see, I'd like to. But here's the thing...grab her Thor!"

Abby took off running, trying to ignore the sound of glass breaking followed by a car peeling down the street in the opposite direction.

She had to find her Dad. And fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's it for today guys; stay tuned! My plan is to update this on a Tues-Thurs-Sun schedule, but we'll see how that goes.


	3. Chapter 2

_Two days later, New York New York_

"Everybody thinks I've got it all. But nobody really does, do they? I've got more than I deserve, more than I've ever dreamed, but, there's always a price you pay. It's been an amazing road. I've been blessed I know. But at the end of the day, I go home alone."

Phineas sat onstage, a microphone pressed to his lips. "I still hope someday I'll have a wife and kids, smiling faces running to the door when I walk in. Saying Daddy's home, you were gone to long. Whatcha bring me, swing me, let me show you what I did. I still dream about that look on a woman's face, that says I love you through the good, the bad, the sunshine or the rain. Sometimes I wish, I had someone to share my life with, maybe I'll have a wife and kids." The song slowed down as the lead vocalist headed for the end. "Maybe someday. I'll have a wife and kids."

Deafening cheers and applause exploded from the crowd as the song ended and he dipped his head, raising a fist toward the sky. "Good night Madison Square Garden!"

* * *

 

_Later that night..._

"Man, ya still sing that song at the end of every show." Buford sat on the couch in the hotel suite, watching the lead vocalist. "It's been fifteen years since ya last seen her; why don't ya give up? It's not like she's ever come lookin for ya."

"Because I know she's out there Buford." Phineas crossed to the window, looking at the city below. "I know it's crazy, but a small part of me still thinks Isabella will come looking for me."

"Dude, you're wastin your time. Every city we've been ta, every state we sing in, ya look for her. Face it Dinnerbell; she ain't ever comin back. She left ya." The drummer started to say something else, only to pause as his cell phone rang. He checked the caller id. "Sorry; gotta take this. Gotta say hi ta Gretchen."

"How long have you two been together now?"

"Two years." The drummer smiled. "Never thought I'd be datin her." The smile changed to a smirk. "Funny how things change huh?"

"Yeah." The red head sighed, shoulders slumping as Buford left the room. "They sure do change alright." He brightened as the hotel room door opened and Ferb walked in. "Hey Bro. Wanna go do something? I know it's one a.m, but I'm still on L.A. time."

"Sorry." The bassist grimaced. "Skype call with Nessa. I promised." He picked up his computer, shooting his brother a concerned look.

"I'm fine." Phineas waved the unspoken question away. "Go Skype with Vanessa. Tell her I said hi. I'll be in here popping channels."

The bassist studied him a moment before shrugging, exiting the room. A few minutes later, Vanessa's voice reached his ears.

_Hey Ferbs._

"Hello Vanessa. How are you doing tonight?"

_Oh, I'm fine. I miss you though. Any word on when the tour will be over?_

"Few more months I'm afraid."

Phineas softly closed the door before trudging to the couch. He plopped down and grabbed the remote, listlessly changing channels without really seeing them. A sigh escaped his lips as he slouched down, propping his feet on top of the coffee table. "What a life huh? I've got everything I ever wanted and yet--"

A knock sounded at the door and he sighed again, putting the television on mute before standing up and walking over to the door, opening it.

"Umm..." a girl about fifteen years old with short, bright red hair, wearing red sneakers, faded blue jeans and a red t-shirt looked up at him. "Are you Phineas Flynn?"

"Yes."

"Mister Flynn? My name's Abigail. I'm your daughter."

He blinked at the girl in confusion. "I don't have a daughter."

"My Mom's Isabella. Uh, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro. When you were eighteen, you and your step brother started a band called Summer Still Rocks. My Mom played rhythm guitar. There was a rumor the two of you had a fling during Labor Day weekend two thousand twenty-one while you playing a gig in Pensacola Florida. There's also a rumor that she left the band to start a solo career, but there were no sources to verify it..." she studied him. "Are you alright?"

The red head's legs wobbled beneath him as he grabbed onto the door jamb for support. "You're my daughter?" He clarified.

"Yes."

"Bu-but how? We were only there that one weekend and..." his face paled as memories of being tangled up in a dark hotel room after drinking to many shots came rushing back. "It was that night, wasn't it? You were conceived that night..." he sank to the floor, head in his hands. "Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't anyone tell me? Why didn't she come back and tell me?" He glanced up at her, breath catching in his throat. "You have my eyes..."

"Yo Dinnerbell, you okay?" Buford came walking out of one of the bedrooms. "Ferb said ya was feelin kinda down. I'm done talkin ta Gretchen if ya wanna--whoa." He stopped, staring at the fifteen year old. "That's freaky. She looks just like ya."

"I don't feel so well..."

"I'm sorry Mister Flynn. I didn't mean to spring this on you." The teenager frowned. "Maybe I should explain why I'm here."

"Seriously, she your kid?" The drummer asked, pointing to her. "Cause--"

"The resemblance is remarkable." Ferb emerged from the other bedroom, setting his computer on an end table before walking over to her. "Hello. I'm Ferb. And who might you be?"

"Abigail Elisabeth Garcia-Shapiro." She motioned to the lead vocalist. "I'm his daughter. Isabella's my Mom. She sent me here."

Phineas blinked, standing up. "Isabella sent you here? How did she--"

"She told me you were my Father, so I did an internet search. Besides, Summer Still Rocks is huge; it wasn't hard to track down your location. Although I did need a photo of you." Phineas raised a brow and she rushed on, holding up the gps. "GPS Tracker 8000. It can pinpoint a person's location based on geographic coordinates and their appearance. That's what I needed the photo for." She smiled slightly, only to start at the look on the lead vocalist's face. "I wasn't stalking you. Promise. I built this to--"

"You _built_ it?"

"Yes." Abigail looked down, snubbing a toe on the carpet. "I have this ability to build lots of really cool things. Mom said that ability came from you. But I didn't know who you were until two days ago."

"Oh yeah, definitely your kid," Buford said. He studied the red head a moment. "So...if this is your kid, how come Bella never came back after leavin and..." he clamped his mouth shut at the look Ferb gave him.

"I need to sit down." Phineas walked over to the couch on shaky legs.

"Is he okay?" Abigail asked, pointing after the lead vocalist.

Ferb nodded, ushering her over to the couch, indicating her to take a seat. "Care to tell us what brings you here?"

She swallowed, looking anxiously at the lead vocalist. "I think Mom was kidnapped."

That got his attention. "What? When? By whom?"

"It happened two nights ago. I heard a crash in the middle of the night and woke Mom up. She said it was probably the neighbors down the street having another loud party, but I told her that wasn't it. This was a different noise. She went downstairs to investigate, but then came running back into the bedroom a few minutes later and locked the door. She dove into the closet, unlocked a safe and emerged with this." She pulled a blueprint from her jean's pocket, laying it on the table. "She told me to leave the house immediately, take this with me and go find you, that you would know what to do. Next thing I know, Mom told me I was your daughter, I climbed down the rope to the ground and the door to Mom's room banged open. There were noises and scuffling. It sounded like Mom was trying to fend someone off."

"Did ya call the police or get their names?" Buford asked.

She shook her head. "I went to the library to find more information on you guys, but then I realized it was three a.m and the library was closed. I sat down on the library steps, pulled up an article on Summer Still Rocks and started reading." She paused. "That's why I knew all that stuff about you."

The three men exchanged looks, Ferb sliding the blueprint across the table and unfurling it. His eyes widened.

Phineas raised a brow at his brother's expression, reaching across the table and taking the blueprint from him. "The Space Laser Inator? Isabella still has this?"

"Yes?" Abigail confirmed, confused.

"Why would Bella have that?" Buford asked.

"The beginning of that summer, I sent Ferb to Blueprint Heaven to pick up a blueprint so we could make Isabella a huge ice cream sundae. The blueprints got switched because Ferb saw Nessa for the first time and lost focus. When we started building, it turns out we had built a Space Laser Inator instead of an ice cream sundae maker. I'm not sure what it was supposed to do--we never attached the laser portion of it--but if it fell into the wrong hands, it could prove dangerous. Especially if it was modified for something more sinister. Blueprint Heaven doesn't do refunds, so I gave it to Isabella. She was the only one I trusted to keep it safe." He turned to Abigail. "Are you sure you don't remember anything else?"

The fifteen year old looked towards the ceiling, lost in thought. After a moment, she slowly lowered her head, looking at him. "...Thor."

The lead vocalist blinked. "Thor?"

"Yeah. I heard a voice yell 'Thor, I need some muscle to break down the door.'"

"If it was Thor...no, it couldn't be..."

"Ya realize they don't travel alone," Buford pointed out. "If it was one of 'em, chances are the other wasn't far behind. Or he was the one given orders."

"This is bad." Phineas got up from the couch, pacing to the window. "This is _really_ bad."

Abigail got off the couch, cautiously walking over to him. "Mister Flynn?" He turned, looking at her. "Mom told me to give you this." She took something from her other jean's pocket, holding it out to him.

He took the offered object, a gasp escaping his lips. "Isabella's bow." He held it to his chest, gazing out the window a moment before turning back to her. "Abigail, could you please wait in that bedroom over there? Buford, Ferb and I need to talk."


	4. Chapter 3

"A cross country road trip?! Are ya crazy?! She has no idea where they took Isabella! Besides, if ya take off on a cross country road trip, we're not goin with ya."

Phineas glared at the drummer in mild exasperation. "I'm not asking you to come with us. I'm saying _we're_ going. Abigail and I. Besides, I wouldn't expect you guys to come with us; we're in the middle of touring. All three of us can't afford to be gone. Look, I'll call Stacy in the morning and explain the situation before Abby and I head out. You two will tour without me for however long this road trip takes. I only expect to be gone a few days, possibly a week."

"And what are we supposed ta do when the fans start rioting because the lead singer's gone?" Buford asked. "Ya know how Stacy is with unruly crowds."

"You guys will just have to take turns singing lead or find a temporary replacement until I come back."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ferb asked. "This is a huge undertaking. Isabella may not even be..." he trailed off as the red head raised a hand, cutting him off.

"Don't finish that sentence Bro. I can't think about that possibility right now. It's hard enough adjusting to the fact that I have a fifteen year old daughter. Besides, you're not the only one who's worried; I'm worried to. But I need to do this. There are to many unanswered questions." His voice caught. "And I'm not just doing this for myself or to save Isabella. I'm doing this for Abigail too. Even if this doesn't work out, Abby needs her Mom. I can't raise her; the road isn't a good place to raise a family."

The bassist and drummer exchanged looks, Buford frowning.

"Phineas, if there's anything we can do--"

"Please let us know," Ferb finished. He clapped the red head on the shoulder. "You know we're always here for you."

The lead vocalist nodded, pulling both band members into a bear hug. "I know. Thanks." He pulled back, smiling through misty eyes. "I love you guys."

Buford groaned, wiping tears from his own eyes. "Dang it Dinnerbell; look what ya made me do."

The men laughed.

"Look guys, I need to take a walk and clear my head. Can you watch Abigail?"

Ferb nodded.

"Thanks. I'll be back in a little bit."

* * *

 

Phineas stuffed his hands deep into the pocket of his jeans as he made his way down the hallway towards the elevator. He was a Father? Isabella kidnapped by Thaddeus and Thor? His mind reeled. It was to much to take in right now. What he should be focusing on was this cross country road trip he had decided to undertake.

He pushed the elevator button, restlessly tapping his foot while he waited. They would need supplies, in case they didn't--or couldn't--stop to eat. A gps...he patted his right pocket. Check. What else?

The elevator dinged and he stepped inisde, pushing the button for the ground floor. Abigail...his daughter. Daughter. What was he supposed to do with her? How was he supposed to entertain her? Maybe he should just leave her with Buford and Ferb.

"Well that's silly," he mused quietly as he got off the elevator. There was no point in them watching her. The whole goal was to take her back to Isabella. Or rather, help her find Isabella.

Maybe the baseball launcher. He could see that coming in handy.

He ticked off a to do list on his fingers. Call Stacy, see the guys off, rent a car, top off the tank, make a withdrawal from the bank so he had some cash. No point raising red flags using his credit card. If they ran out of cash, he could always sing...

He was being strangely calm about all this.

Why wouldn't he be? He'd done more dangerous things. The second dimension sprang to mind.

But still...

He sighed, turning a corner, looking down the hallways he passed. He turned another corner and found himself in the hotel lobby. A sign on the wall read Piano Bar this Way and he followed it.

The place was deserted, save for a familiar man sitting at the bar. He smirked as he walked in. "Hey Django. What are you still doing up?"

"Hey man," his buddy greeted, the two bro-hugging. "I was to wired from the show, so I thought I would come in here for awhile and try to unwind."

"That's...not a bad idea..."

"Pretty decent tunes for a piano bar," Django continued. "Think I've gotten inspired for some new band t-shirt designs."

"That's great Buddy." Phineas forced a smile.

"Anyway Phin, as great as it is to see you, I'm going to turn in for the night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." The words sounded foreign to him. Tomorrow he would be leaving on a road trip and he had no idea what he would find. He swallowed, a knot of apprehension forming in his chest.

Or wouldn't find.

He pushed the thought away, turning to the bartender. "Excuse me. Will there be another act tonight?"

The bartender turned around. "There was supposed to be, but he bailed. Said something about being to drunk." The man shook his head. "We don't close for another hour; I was hoping to have someone fill in."

Phineas glanced around the mostly empty bar. A few people were sitting at the bar, while four others were clustered around a table. "Mind if I fill in?"

"Can you play the piano?"

"Yes."

"Sure. Go ahead. The stage is all yours."

"Thanks." The lead vocalist made his way to the stage, noting the microphone attached to the piano. He tapped it a few times, speaking into it. "Testing, testing, one, two three. Can everybody hear me?" The patrons raised their hands. He didn't bother with an introduction; just sat down and started playing. "She's like the wind, through my tree. She rides the night, next to me. She leads me through moonlight only to burn me with the sun. She's taken my heart, but she doesn't know what she's done.

"I feel her breath on my face. Her body close to me. I can't look in her eyes. She's out of my league. Just a fool to believe I have anything she needs. She's like the wind..." The lead vocalist's eyes slipped closed as he played an interlude, losing himself in the music. "Am I just fooling myself, that this pain will wane? Living without her, I go insane..."

"Excuse me?" The bartender looked down, eyeing a girl who looked to be about fifteen. "Can I come in here?"

"This is a piano bar. Twenty ones and over only," he grunted.

"But...I'm his daughter." She motioned to the stage.

"Kid, I don't care if he's the lead singer of Summer Still Rocks; you're not getting in here."

Abby raised a brow in amusement. "But he _is_ the lead singer of Summer Still Rocks. Phineas Flynn." She motioned to him with both hands, her expression one of mock disbelief. "How do you not recognize him? How many people do you know in this world actually have triangle shaped heads?"

The bartender glanced at the lead vocalist onstage, his jaw dropping in disbelief. "Oh my gosh; it _is_ him." He glanced at her again. "My apologies; you may enter."

"Thank you." Abigail slowly walked towards the stage, watching the lead vocalist. His eyes were closed, his body swaying to the music. She tentatively took several steps forward, singing along with him. "You feel her breath on your face, her body close to you. You can't look in my eyes..." She trailed off, realization dawning. "Because I remind you of her."

A sour note sounded on the piano as the lead vocalist's eyes popped open. He stared at her, quickly standing up. "What are you doing here? This is a bar; you shouldn't be here."

"The bartender let me in." She motioned behind her. "I told him I was your daughter."

"But how did you--"

"I snuck past your friends. You were hurting. I wanted to come check on you and see if you were okay."

The red head crossed his arms, trying to look stern. Yet he couldn't help the mild amusement. "I just learned I have a fifteen year old daughter. How do you think I feel?"

"Like I do." Her voice was quiet. "Awkward. Confused. Scared. Trying to grapple with everything while also worried about Mom."

He uncrossed his arms, staring at her a moment. His shoulders slumped. "Come on; you need to get to bed. We should head out as early as possible tomorrow morning. You'll need a good night's sleep."


	5. Chapter 4

"Stacy, calm down. Stacy. Stacy, now wait a minute--" Phineas groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation, but Ferb and Buford will be fine. Summer Still Rocks can do without their lead singer for--" he walked around the tour bus, watching as Ferb followed Django inside, helping him and the roadies load up the equipment. "They'll be fine for a week." A pause. "Well, they can have Django or Irving take over for me then." He frowned. "I know. I know it's--" he held the phone away from his ear, glaring at it before putting it back. "No I'm not refunding the tickets!" He took a deep breath. "Okay, look. You and I obviously need to agree to disagree here. Bottom line? I'm taking my fifteen year old daughter, whom I didn't know existed until last night, on a road trip to find Isabella." A long pause followed as he listened. "Because I still love her, that's why." An even longer pause followed. "Thanks Stacy." The red head's voice was quiet. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." He hung up the phone and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"How'd it go?" Ferb asked, emerging from the tour bus.

"Stacy's not happy, but she understands. Though she may have a point; if the fans don't like me being gone, you might have to find a temporary replacement." Ferb nodded. "Where's Abigail?"

"Inside with Buford. Impromptu drum lesson I believe. Is the rental car gassed up?"

"Yep. All gassed up and ready to go."

"Where are you going on this road trip?"

"I have no idea."

"Dad!" He started at the name, whipping around as Abigail came running out of the stadium. "Dad! Mister Van Stomm taught me how to play the drums!"

"Eh, you can call me Buford. I think it's okay for us ta be on a first name basis." The drummer smiled as walked up. "Dinnerbell, your kid's a natural. If she practices, she could be really good."

"Really?!" Abigail beamed.

"Absolutely. Ya picked up the drums faster than I did. And that's sayin something."

"Abigail, are you ready to go?" Phineas asked tentatively.

"Yeah!"

He couldn't help chuckling. "Where are we going?"

"Back to Pensacola. I wanna see if Mom came home."

He blinked. "You and Isabella live in Pensacola? As in, Pensacola Florida?"

"Yep! I was born there."

 _Isabella moved to Pensacola Florida_? Phineas mulled the question over. That must have been after she went to Denver with Gretchen and Adyson to visit Katie. But why move to Pensacola? Why not come back to Danville? Why not come back to _him_? Why not come back and tell him he had a daughter? Abigail was fifteen; she couldn't have been born that much longer after that weekend...

"Dad?"

He started, the name dragging him out of his thoughts. "What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." He shook his head. "I'm fine. Now let's get going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know. A really short filler chapter. But don't worry; things should start picking up Thursday. Promise.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the next two chapters are probably my favorites. I feel like they're really strong emotionally. I hope you like them.

"One thousand two hundred miles to Pensacola." Phineas did the math as he turned the car in the direction of the freeway on ramp. "That's...seventeen hours and change. Provided there's no traffic, we should make it there by four a.m if not sooner." He glanced over at Abigail, who had been strangely quiet ever since they'd gotten in the car. "That's almost an entire day of driving."

"I know how long it is," Abigail snapped. "I had to take a Greyhound bus from Pensacola to New York in order to find you."

"Oh." The lead vocalist stared straight ahead, changing lanes before making a right onto the freeway. "Well, looks like we're on our way." No response. "Are you okay?" He fought back a smirk; Abby was acting like him.

The fifteen year old sighed, gazing out the passenger side window. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be short with you. I'm just really, _really_ worried about Mom."

"I am too." He tried to think of something to say that would reassure her, but he couldn't. He didn't even know if saying something would reassure himself. So he pushed the troubling thought away, opting for a different tactic. "So...what kind of music do you like?"

She turned, raising an eyebrow at him. "All kinds. I'm not picky. Why?"

"Road trips go faster if you have some music to listen to." He paused, drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel. "Ever heard of Love Handel?"

"No."

Phineas laughed, rapping a knuckle on the center console. "Grab a CD from here and you'll find out."

Abby opened the center console, pulling a CD from it, reading the label. "Kitty in a Box and Other Novelty Songs. By Love Handel."

"Oh yeah, that was their concept album. What were the songs again? I can never remember."

Abby turned the CD over, reading the track list. "He's Driving Safe, He's On His Way, Sci-Fi Speculative, Going to City Hall, Kitty in a Box, He's Not Sure, We Wanna Eat--"

"We're hungry and we wanna eat! We're hungry and we wanna eat," the lead vocalist sang. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Abby staring at him. He blushed. "Sorry. That one always gets stuck in my head."

"Sliding Down a Tube and...Paul's Revelation Operetta."

"Ohh yeah...I forgot about the Revelation Operetta. That was a huge hit the summer I was nine. Go ahead and pop it in the CD player."

Abby slid the CD into the slot on the front of the dashboard, raising a brow at the first lyric.

_He keeps both hands firmly on the wheel  
_ _at ten and two or nine and three_

"Seriously? Are they trying to be like Weird Al Yankovic?"

"You mean Milo Murphy."

"Who's Milo Murphy?"

"He's a parodist." When Abby didn't respond, Phineas explained further. "Several years ago, Milo Murphy was a guy on youtube who used to parody different Love Handel songs. He went viral and was offered a recording contract with HugeO Records. But...nothing ever came of it."

"How come?"

"Y'know, I don't remember. Something about the warehouse burning down and then someone in the recording studio accidentally erased their entire discography or something." He waved the comment away. "But tha's a story for another time."

_Speculative fiction is such an addiction!  
_ _Speculative fiction!_

* * *

 

_Seventeen hours later_

"Make a right down this street, go down about two blocks, then make a left." Abigail stifled a yawn, glancing at the clock on the dashboard. Four A.M. The sun wasn't even up yet. "My house is on the right. Five fifty Beachside Avenue."

"Five fifty..." Phineas slowed the car to a crawl, stifling a yawn of his own as he read street addresses. "Four thirty-nine...four forty-one...four forty-nine..."

"You need to go down further. It's near the end of the street."

He gave the car some gas, propelling it past several houses before letting off the accelerator. "Five hundred..." he went down still further. "Five forty-seven...five forty-nine...five fifty." He stopped in front of a cute two story house with pink shutters. It had a green manicured lawn and a tree in the front yard.

But something wasn't right. There was no car in the driveway; there was broken glass on the front walk and the purple front door was hanging off its hinges.

Abby was out of the car before he'd put it in park, running toward the open front door. "Mom!"

Phineas hurriedly put the car in the park, removing the key from the ignition before opening the car door and sprinting after her. "Abigail! Wait!"

"Mom!" Her frantic voice came from just inside the door and he followed it, his eyes widening.

The entire living room had been ransacked. Chairs were overturned, drawers opened and dumped out, their contents scattered across the floor. He heard rustling in the kitchen and picked up an overturned coat rack, holding it out in front of him. He slowly made his way into the kitchen, only to set the coat rack down. Drawers and cabinets were wide open, utensils, pots and pans spilled onto the floor and surrounding counter tops. Abby stood in the middle of the mess, near tears. She stared at him a moment before starting to rush past him.

"Mom!"

He grabbed her by the arm, holding her fast. "Abigail, you can't just go running through here. I know you're scared, but what if someone's still here? You have to be cautious."

She forced his hand away, struggling before finally freeing herself, running towards the hallway and up a flight of stairs. "Mom! Mom, where are you?! MOM?!" The shouting grew more frantic.

Phineas picked up the coat rack again, slowly climbing the stairs, poised to fend off intruders. "Abby," he whispered. "Abby, where are you?" He paused on the second story landing, his voice louder. "Abigail?"

The sound of crying came from a bedroom immediately to his right. He slowly stepped inside the room, breath catching in his throat. The entire closet had been torn apart, clothes laying scattered on the floor. An opened safe beckoned from inside the empty closet and a shattered window pane lay just beyond Abigail, who was sitting on the floor sobbing.

He quickly walked over to her, discarding the coat rack on the bed and getting down on his knees next to her, tentatively wrapping her in a hug. "Shh...it's okay." The fifteen year old turned, burying her face in his chest, her entire body shaking. "It's okay." He ran a hand down her back, awkwardly patting it as his gaze wandered around the room.

What had happened here? The safe was open, but not moved; the clothes had been thrown out of the closet as though someone were trying to find something to wear; a bedside lamp lay broken on the floor and then the window. As the lead vocalist studied the window, he noticed it was opened; the glass was from the top of the pane. Almost as if something had been thrown.

There were several signs of s struggle too; he thought he could see several fingernail marks on the window ledge, maybe some light ones on the door frame.

He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, hugging Abigail tighter.

For the first time in he couldn't remember how long, he prayed. "Please God," he mouthed. "Help us find Isabella. Please keep her safe and out of harm's way. Amen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's really bad when you laugh at your own in-universe jokes


	7. Chapter 6

He couldn't feel anything. He was numb. It hadn't seemed real until now. All he could do was sit in the middle of the ripped apart bedroom and hold her, gently rocking back and forth as she cried.

"It's okay," he soothed. "It's going to be okay." He took a shaky breath. "Please be okay," he whispered, unsure if the words were meant to comfort Abby or himself. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Dad?" He heard it, but couldn't respond. Not yet. "Dad? Are you...crying?"

"No." He slowly opened his eyes, blinking several times to clear the mist from them. "No, I'm not."

"It sure looks like you're crying..."

He shook his head, slowly standing up, studying the room again. He took a deep breath in before slowly letting it out. "Okay, I realize this isn't the...best situation, but...when something like this happens, the kidnappers don't usually just take off; they leave a note or some kind of clue. So all we need to do--"

"Is find out what they left behind!" Abigail jumped to her feet. "It shouldn't be that hard to find a clue right?"

"Well..."

She didn't wait for an answer, just started searching the bedroon. After several minutes of searching, she walked over to the red head, grabbing his hand. "Dad, come on. We need to look for clues."

The lead vocalist nodded, allowing himself to be pulled out of the bedroom and down the stairs.

He was in shock. He could only watch as Abigail ran around the house, turning over the open drawers and cabinets, peeking underneath the overturned furniture for clues. What if there wasn't anything? What if they came all this way for nothing?

His mind reeled with the possibilities and he put a hand to his mouth, trying to stifle the cry threatening to break free. He took a huge gulp of air before slowly letting it out, his gaze falling to a table near the front door. With a note sitting on top of it. "Abby..." his voice was hoarse. "Abigail." He cleared his throat. "Abigail. I think I found something."

Why couldn't he speak?

"What is it? Did you find something?" She bounded over and he nodded, handing it to her.

A tug on his shirt. "What?"

"It's...from Thaddeus and Thor. It's addressed to you." Abigail swallowed, handing it back to him. "I think you should read it."

He gulped, reading it.

_Hey Chump. Guess who?_

_That's right. It's Thaddeus and Thor. And we have a proposition for you. See, your girlfriend had a blueprint we wanted. But, turns out, she doesn't have it. So it's either with you or the girl we saw running from the house. So here's the deal: bring the blueprint and the girl to a restaurant several miles outside of Gravity Falls Oregon in five days and we'll do an exchange. The blueprint and the girl for Isabella. Don't bring the blueprint and...well, let's hope you won't have to find out._

_Later._

_Thaddeus, and his associate, Thor_

He crumpled the paper in his hand, taking several deep breaths to stave off the tears still threatening to break free.

"Dad? Are you okay? What's wrong? What did the note say?"

He balled his hands into fists, wheeling around. "Stop asking me that! No, I'm not okay! I have a fifteen year old daughter I didn't know existed until a few days ago and the love of my life has been kidnapped! No! I'm not okay!" He glared at her. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be on this road trip! If it weren't for you, I'd still be touring!" Abigail's face crumpled and he regretted the outburst immediately. "Abigail. I--"

Her downtrodden expression turned as fierce as his own. "Don't bother. Let's just get in the car and go. The sooner we find Mom, the sooner you can have me out of your life."


	8. Chapter 7

_Two days later, night_

He was exhausted. The tension in the car was palpable and he hadn't been able to sleep. But lack of sleep eventually caught up with him and he was forced to pull over at a roadside motel.

"Abigail, listen," he grunted as he pulled a suitcase out of the trunk. "I'm--" he swallowed, trying again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you back at the house. I was hurt and scared and it was like..." he paused, searching for the right words. "Up until then, none of it seemed real. But then, seeing the house in shambles...it was to much. It's been a lot to take in the last few days and, well, I shoudn't have taken all my frustrations out on you. I'm sorry."

"That doesn't mean it didn't hurt." She looked up at him, sadness and hurt still in her eyes. "I'm scared and frustrated too. She's my Mom; I don't know what I would do without her." She followed him into the motel room, sitting down on one of the beds. She looked down at her shoes a moment before looking back up at him. "I didn't mean what I said about we can find Mom and then you can have me out of your life." She swallowed. "Unless you really _do_ want me out of your life." Her bottom lip quivered. " _Do_ you want me out of your life?"

"No, I don't. I want you in my life. I want to be a part of your life. It's just..."

She sighed. "You don't know what to do with me, do you?"

"Go to sleep. It's late." The red head forced a smile. "We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow if we want to make it to Gravity Falls." He awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Good night Abigail."

"Good night Dad." He frowned. "Should I stop calling you Dad? I can go back to calling you Mister Flynn if you prefer."

"No. It's fine." Phineas sighed as he left the motel room, pulling his cell from a pocket and dialing a number. "Hey Bro."

A worried tone came over the other end. "How are things going?"

"Not great." He sighed again. "We're stopped at a roadside motel. She's still calling me Dad."

"Like it or not, you _are_ her Father."

"But I don't feel that way Ferb! I didn't raise her! I don't even know her!" He frowned, his tone softening. "She didn't grow up knowing me. I'm just another adult to her. I've missed fifteen years of her life. And seeing her just keeps reminding me that Isabella left and never came back. Do you know her house was in shambles? Furniture overturned; drawers pulled out, items dumped on the floor. The entire house was ransacked. I found Abigail in what I think was Isabella's room, sobbing. I held her as she cried. But when I looked around the room..." his voice cracked. "i saw signs of a struggle. What if we find Thaddeus and Thor and they've..."

"Killed her?"

"Don't say that." He leaned against the wall, sliding down to the concrete. "It's just...I close my eyes for a moment and...I'm there. I'm back to the night we dropped her off at the airport to meet Gretchen and Adyson. I can still see the tears in her eyes when she told me good-bye. The memories that Abigail brought back? They're _haunting_ me."

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Ferbs?"

"Still here."

"That's not the worst of it." He took a shuddering breath. "Thaddeus and Thor left a ransom note. They want an exchange; the blueprint and Abigail for Isabella. What if they wanna hurt her? Or--"

"Would you hand Abigail over?"

"No! Absolutely not! I'm not risking her life too." He swore he could hear a smile over the phone. "Look, I gotta go. I'll call you when we reach the next town." He sighed as he hung up the phone, slowly walking out from the motel room, standing under a sky full of stars. "The bluest eyes in Danville, are haunting me tonight. Like the stars that fill the midnight sky, her memory fills my mind." A tear trickled down his cheek as he turned his gaze heavenward. "Please let us find her."

He angrily swiped at his eyes, thrusting the phone back into his pocket before turning around, softly opening the door to the room before closing it behind him. He tiptoed to the bed, taking his shirt off and tossing it on the floor.

"That was you singing just now, wasn't it?"

He started, glancing toward the other bed as he climbed into his own. "Yeah. It was."

"Mom has an old Summer Still Rocks CD. Her name's on the back." The teen was quiet for a moment. "She said she'd always knew you'd make it big." Phineas rolled over, his back to her. "Good night again."

But the lead vocalist didn't answer.


	9. Chapter 8

_Early the next morning..._

"Isabella...no. Wait. Don't leave. Isabella..."

Abby woke up, rubbing her eyes as she turned in the direction of the murmuring. "Mister Flynn?"

"Isabella. Don't...go..." the red head tossed and turned in his sleep, a sad expression on his face. "Why didn't you...no. Isabella. No. Don't hurt her."

The fifteen ear old climbed out of bed, cautiously crossing the tiny space to the other bed. "Mister Flynn, wake up. Phineas." She reached a hand out, gently shaking him. "Mister Flynn."

"Isabella..." the murmuring stopped as he rolled over onto his back. He sighed, the pained expression replaced by a soft, gentle smile. "Love...you...too..."

"Mister Flynn, you really need to wake up. We have to..." she trailed off, her eyes landing on a red lipstick print tattoo painted over his heart. She raised a brow, gently tracing the outline with a fingertip.

The smile on the lead vocalist's face widened, his hand grasping hers. "I love you. Come...back...please. Tell me why you..."

Abby slowly withdrew her hand, frowning as the pained expression returned. Ignoring a murmured, anguished no, she shook him harder "MISTER FLYNN!"

Phineas woke with a start, a wild look in his eyes. "What?! What happened?" He quickly sat up, breathing hard as his gaze landed on the teenager standing next to the bed. "Abigail. What's wrong?"

"Why do you have a lipstick print tattoo across your heart? Does it have to do with Mom? You were talking in your sleep; you kept saying her name." The teenager swallowed. "You were dreaming about her."

"What I dream about is none of your concern." He glanced at the tattoo, grabbing his shirt from the floor, hastily throwing it on. "And neither is the tattoo."

"But, Mom never mentioned--"

"None of your concern!" He glared at her. "Now get dressed; we're only a few miles out from Gravity Falls."

"But--"

"End of discussion."

Abigail sighed, grabbing her clothes from the end of the bed. "Yes Sir."

* * *

 

_Another town, another motel room_   
_another dream that ended way to soon_   
_Left me lonely praying for the dawn_   
_searching for the strength to carry on--_

The red head slapped off the car radio, trying to ignore the growing knot of worry in his stomach.

"Mister Flynn?"

" _What_?"

Abigail shrank back at the harsh tone. "I'm sorry I asked about the tattoo. I didn't realize it was so personal." No response. "Can...we get something to eat? I'm starving."

Phineas glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and sighed. "Where do you wanna eat?"

"I don't know. Anywhere's good."

He crouched over the steering wheel, slowing the car to a crawl as he noticed a Welcome to Gravity Falls road sign. He found himself driving down a small main street, with shops and tourist spots lining both sides. "Greasy's Diner. How does that sound?"

The teenager shrugged.

Phineas pulled the car into a small parking lot around back, turning off the engine. He fored a smile. "At least we found Gravity Falls a few days early."

Abigail nodded, following him out of the car and around to the front of the diner. The door to the diner opened with a soft ting and the pair were met by the sights and sounds of a diner during lunch hour.

Phineas glanced around, finding an open booth towards the back.

They weren't in the booth five minutes when a waitress a few years older than him, with long brown hair down to her waist, bounded over. She wore a big smile and from what he could tell, she also wore a somewhat garish sweater underneath the waitress apron.

"Hi there! Welcome to Greasy's Diner! My name's Mabel and I'll be your waitress this afternoon. Can I start you off with some drinks?"

"I'll have a..." Abigail raised a brow at the menu. "What's a Pitt Cola?"

"Ohhh! That's a favorite around here! Gravity Falls original. I highly recommend it."

"Okay. I'll try that."

"Great! And for you?" Mabel turned to the red head.

"Just a water please."

"Water. Got it." Mabel jotted it down on her pad, returning her attention to the table. "Do you know what you want to order, or do you need a little more time?"

The pair exchanged looks.

"A little more time please," Abigail requested.

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute with your drinks." The woman hustled off, yelling across the diner. "Hey Dipper! I need one water and a Pitt Cola!"

The red head cringed at the noise, burying his nose in the menu. The standard roadside fare of hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, toast and sandwiches stared back at him and he wondered if any of it was very good. He peeked over the top of the menu. "So...what are you gonna have?"

Abigail glanced up. "I don't know. Maybe the grilled cheese sandwich. Or just a plain omelette with some veggies. What are you having?"

"Chicken fried steak maybe. I could use the protein."

"Oh. That's...good..."

An uncomfortable silence passed between the two and Phineas looked around, taking in the rest of the diner. Pretty standard: pink accents, an ancient looking jukebox in the corner, a silver counter with several patrons sitting at it, pink stools...he turned his attention to the window, raising a brow at a water tower with a muffin painted on it.

"Here are your drinks!" The red head breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Mabel walked up. "A water for you." She set a tall glass of ice water in front of him. "And a Pitt Cola for you." She set a glass in front of Abigail.

Abigail reached out, tentatively taking a sip. She gave a wry smile. "This is pretty good."

"See? I told you it was a Gravity Falls favorite." Mabel glanced between the two. "Are you ready to order?"

Phineas motioned Abigail to go first.

"I'll have..." she scanned the menu. "The plain omelette with a side of veggies."

"Great." Mabel wrote down the order, then turned to Phineas.

"I'll have the chicken fried steak."

Mabel beamed. "Ooo...good choice." She took their menus and walked off, thankfully holding off on yelling the order until she was in the kitchen. Not that the whole diner still couldn't hear it.

Abby drummed her fingers on the table, gazing out the window.

"Sooo...pretty interesting place huh?" The fifteen year old turned her head, staring at him. "Did you see the muffin on the water tower?"

"Heh. Yeah." She turned back to the window before turning her attention back to him. "I wonder if it's really a muffin..." she mused, more to herself than him.

"Gives it character..."

"Maybe. Are you going to stay mad at me forever?"

He blinked. "What?"

"The tattoo? Last night? Two days ago?"

The lead vocalist sighed. "I'm sorry. Again." He stared at the table. "Guess I'm not good at this Father thing."

Abigail's shoulders slumped.

"Okay! I have the omelette with a side of veggies for you," Mabel set a steaming plate in front of Abigail. "And a chicken fried steak for you." She set a plate in front of Phineas, noticing the mood at the table. "Aw come on! Gravity Falls isn't that bad of a place to be on an afternoon like this, is it?" The pair stared at her. "It's...nice." Her tone softened at the sad looks on their faces. "Well, whatever is bothering you, I'm sure you'll find a way to work it out."

Abby watched as the woman bustled away from the table, going over to another patron to take their order. A few seconds later:

"DIPPER! I NEED TWO DENVER OMELETTE SCRAMBLES, FRENCH TOAST AND A SIDE OF BACON AND HASH BROWNS!"

"I CAN HEAR YOU! STOP YELLING ACROSS THE DINER!"

"IT'S MY DINER! I CAN YELL ACROSS IT IF I WANT!"

The fifteen year old looked down at her plate, trying to hide a smile. A few seconds later, she erupted into giggles, Phineas following. When she could finally breathe, she met his eyes, trying to stop the giggle fit. "This place is _so_ weird."

"Yes. Yes it is."


	10. Chapter 9

"Eat your vegetables."

Abby speared a vegetable with her fork, sticking her tongue out in distaste as she held it up. "It's zucchini. I hate zucchini."

Phineas blinked at her, fork halfway to his mouth. "What?"

"I hate zucchini. I've hated it since I was little. Just never developed a taste for it." She tilted her head to the side. "You're smiling."

"I...hated zucchini as a kid..."

"You did?" He nodded. "Did you ever grow to like it?"

"It's not my favorite vegetable, but it's not as a bad as you think. You might grow to like it like I did." He tapped his fork on the side of his plate. "Favorite number?"

"Five."

The smile widened slightly. "That's my third favorite number."

"You have a third favorite number?"

"You have a _first_ favorite number."

The teenager grinned. "I can rock a mean bass guitar." Phineas raised a skeptical brow and her grin widened. "No really! I'm in a bad at school! I can show you!"

The lead vocalist chuckled as Abigail bounced out of the booth, bugging the diner patrons for a guitar. "She has my confidence." He frowned. "Though mine's not what it used to be."

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Phineas blinked, not realizing Abigail had tracked down a guitar and was now standing in the middle of the diner. "My name is Abigail Garcia-Shapiro and I'm going to sing a song for you. Hope you like it."

His heart twisted at the last name as he tried to swallow the sudden lump in his throat.

"Woke up to a sunny day, not a cloud up in the sky. Then it starts to rain. My defenses hit the ground and they shatter all around, so open and exposed. I found strength in the struggle, face to face with my troubles. When you're broken, in a million little pieces, and you're trying, but you can't hold on anymore. Every tear falls down for a reason, don't you stop believing in yourself. When you're broken.

Abigail slowly walked towards Phineas, strumming the guitar as her eyes met his. "Mister Flynn don't be so blue, I know what you're going through. Don't let it beat you up. Hitting walls and getting scars, only makes you who you are, only makes you who you are." She sat down next to him. "No matter how much your heat is aching, there is beauty in the breaking." She stopped strumming and smiled. "Better days _will_ find you Mister Flynn. It just takes time. We _will_ find Mom, and we'll do it together."

He returned the smile, tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered.

Abigail chuckled. "Softy," she teased. He laughed. "You're welcome." She gently laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey! How about another song?!" One of the diner patrons yelled. "That last song killed my buzz!"

"Yeah!" Another patron agreed. "How about something light?"

"Ummm..." the fifteen year old hedged, looking helplessly at the red head. "I don't know what to play next," she mouthed.

"We want another song! We want another song! We want another song!" The diner patrons chanted, banging their utensils on the tables in unison.

"Da--Mister Flynn?" Abby watched nervously as the raucous increased in volume. "Mister Flynn, I'm not sure what to do here..."

"Follow my lead." Phineas grabbed a spoon from the table, handing it to her before motioning the teenager to follow him to the center of the diner. "Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen! I'm Phineas and this is my..." he hedged. "Travel companion Abigail." He paused for dramatic effect. "You want more music?!"

"YEAH!"

His lips twitched in a faint smile as he dug his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans, scrolling through it before handing it to the fifteen year old. Abigail looked at the phone and grinned, giving him a subtle nod.

"Hey! Where's the music?!" Someone yelled.

"Patience, patience, these things take time." Phineas took the phone back, giving the teenager a subtle wink. "Abigail, may I have the guitar?" She handed it over. "And now, for your listening pleasure..." the red head began strumming a tune, the faint smile becoming more prominent. "Mock--"

Abigail leaned forward, singing into the spoon. "Yeah."

"Ing--"

"Yeah."

"Bird."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah!"

"Mockingbird!" The two sang in unison.

The red head started to sing the next verse, only to start in surprise as Abigail stepped in front of him, taking over.

She gave him a sly grin as she sang. "Now everybody have you heard--"

"Have you heard," he gently pushed her out of the way, taking center stage. "I'm gonna buy her a mockingbird."

"And if that mockingbird won't sing--"

"Won't sing."

"He's gonna buy me a diamond ring." She held up her left hand, wriggling her ring finger. "And if that diamond ring won't shine--"

"Won't shine--"

"Well it'll surely break this heart of mine." Abby went to sing the next verse, only for Phineas to sidestep her, taking over.

"And that's why, yes indeed, I keep telling everybody say--"

"Yeah yeah."

"Whoa whoa whoa."

She smiled, grabbing the taller man by the shirt and yanking him toward her, playfully getting in his face. "Now see here Mister Flynn. Hear me now and understand. You're gonna buy me some piece of mind--"

He pulled away, motioning to her. "I'm gonna buy here a piece of mind. Oh and if that piece of mind won't stay--"

"Won't stay--" Abby jumped in again. "I'm gonna find myself a better way. And if that better way ain't so--"

Phineas gently pushed her to the side. "Ain't so--"

The duo looked at each other, both wearing ear to ear grins as they sang in unison. "I'll ride with the tide and go with the flow."

"And that's why," Abby started.

"I keep shouting in your ear saying--"

"Yeah yeah."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Mockingbird."

Phineas smirked, lightly hip bumping Abigail as he sang, shoving her out of the way. "Would you get out of my spotlight?" He teased, showing off with a dance step. "Seriously, move over and let a pro show you how it's done."

"Yeah right." She scoffed, hip bumping him back, performing her own dance moves. "Quit big leaguing me."

"Miss Abigail, I don't think you understand." He lightly hip bumped her again, taking center stage and gaining the upper hand. "Hear me now and understand--"

Abigail quickly jumped in. "Understand."

"She's gonna buy me some piece of mind."

"Piece of mind."

"Oh and if that piece of mind won't stay--"

"Won't stay--"

The pair looked at each other, singing in unison. "We're gonna find ourselves a better way. We might rise above, we might go below, ride with the tide and go with the flow--"

"And that's why," Abby jumped in again. "I keep shouting in your ear, say--"

"Hey hey."

"Whoa."

The pair nodded, both pumping their fists in the air. "Mockingbird!"

The diner erupted into loud cheers and applause, giving them a standing ovation.

Abigail grinned from ear to ear. "This is what you do every night?! This is how you perform?! This is amazing! Oh my gosh; I'm on such a high right now!"

"It is pretty amazing," the red head agreed. "Especially when the crowds number in the thousands and they sing your songs back to you." He chuckled as a diner patron cheered, waving his napkin in the air. "But small crowds can be just as amazing." The smile slowly faded, turning wistful. "I'd forgotten just how amazing it could be..."


	11. Chapter 10

_And residents of the small town of Gravity Falls Oregon received a surprise this afternoon, when Phineas Flynn, of the world famous band Summer Still Rocks, unexpectedly showed up in their diner for lunch, him and his travel companion giving not one, but two impromptu concerts._

_"Are you kidding me? It was amazing! I mean, I've been listening to them since their first album!" A man with a blue and white trucker hat with a blue pine tree on the front of it stood outside the diner, almost hyperventilating. "The whole thing was amazing! I got it all on video!"_

_"That's not half as amazing as me!" A woman wearing a garish sweater with long brown hair down to her waist roughly pushed the man aside. "I SERVED them! I have their order right here!" She frantically waved a slip of paper in the air. "He ordered the chicken fried steak! And she ordered the omelette with a side of vegetables!"_

_To capitalize on this sudden Summer Still Rocks mania, Soos, of the tourist destination The Mystery Shack, has started selling Summer Still Rocks shirts, Summer Still Rocks albums and various other band memorabilia._

_"I just think it's really good for this town, ya know? I mean, dudes, it's not everyday you get major stars in this town. I gotta capiti-captia-make money off it, ya know. Like, it's the Stan Pines creed, know what I'm sayin?"_

_And there you have it Ladies and Gentlemen. Summer Still Rocks mania has gripped the small town of Gravity Falls Oregon. But there still remains one question we must ask ourselves: who was Mister Flynn's travel companion? Does she have a connection to the band? And is she available for comment? This is Bridgette Oshinomi, reporting live from Gravity Falls Oregon. Back to you Gordon._

_"Thanks Bridgette. In other news--"_

"I know who she is." The television was shut off by an unknown figure sitting in a dark room. "By this time tomorrow, she'll be ours." The figure slowly got out of the swivel chair, crossing to the window, his glasses gleaming in the fading daylight. "And no one, and nothing can stop us. Isn't that right Isabella?"

The figure turned, his gaze trained on something in a corner. Isabella sat on the floor, hands tied behind her back with a gag in her mouth. She struggled against the binds holding her, a helpless, frightened look in her eyes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUNN!
> 
> Stay tuned...


	12. Chapter 11

"Abby, come here. I want to show you something." It was early evening and the pair were sitting on the hood of the rental car in an empty parking lot, watching the sunset.

"What is it?" Abigail slid off the hood, following the red head around to the trunk.

"Do you have your own guitar?"

"No. I have to rent one through the school. Mom says I have to save up my own money and buy my own guitar." She frowned, only for the frown to be replaced by a smile. "I'm getting really close to having enough money to buy one though."

"What kind are you looking at buying?"

"I'm not sure, but I think an electric would be cool. I love the sound it makes. Especially the wailing chords during a chorus or bridge." She played air guitar, giggling. "Hopefully I can buy one soon."

While electric guitars _are_ fun, acoustic guitars can be fun too."

"I guess. You can't really rock out on them though."

Phineas chuckled. "You sound like I did. I used to think the same thing. But then, I found this." He pulled an acoustic guitar from the trunk. It was beat up, with several chips and scratches on the surface. The wood had lost its finish years ago and the strings, while well maintained, appeared to have been replaced many times over the years. "This is the first guitar I ever bought with my own money. I was eighteen years old." He smiled, handing her the guitar. "I came home from the music store that day, told Ferb we were going to start a band and tour the world. And the rest is history." His smile turned wistful. "Your Mom thought I was crazy. We were eighteen. We were supposed to be thinking about which colleges we were going to attend. But after that day, all I wanted to do was play music. And your Mother hopped on the crazy train with me; she always believed in everything I did." He watched the fifteen year old run her hand over the strings, cautiously plucking out a tune. He cleared his throat, pointing to the guitar. "It's a shame really. That old girl doesn't get out much these days. She could probably use a new home. With someone who will take good care of her and make sure to play with her. Someone like..." his eyes sparkled with mirth. "You."

"Me?" Abby looked up from the tune she playing, blinking at him. "You want me to have your guitar?"

"Yes. Yes I do."

She jumped up, quickly setting the guitar back in the trunk before wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh! Thank you Mister Flynn!"

The lead vocalist blinked in surprise, tentatively wrapping his arms around her. "You're welcome." He chuckled as he pulled back. "Abby, is that your stomach I'm hearing or did you eat a bear?"

"Oh. I guess I'm a little hungry."

"Yeah, we really haven't eaten anything since early this afternoon." He winked at her. "We should probably take care of that."

The fifteen year old grinned, grabbing the guitar before closing the trunk and following Phineas around to the front of the car, hopping inside. "Mister Flynn?"

"Hm?"

"There's...something I wanna know..."

"What's that?"

"You and Mom..." she proceeded cautiously. "You were friends for a long time right?"

"Yes. We were."

"So...what happened between you that changed that? You talked about "that night" when I first told you I was your daughter and a news article I saw on the internet made it sound like something happened Labor Day weekend two thousand twenty-one."

He stared at her a moment, the smile slowly fading as he turned on the engine. "Let's grab a burger at the next drive through and I'll tell you all about it."


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I love this chapter So. Freaking. MUCH.

"I didn't plan on falling in love with your mother that night." The red head paused, taking a bite of his burger, chewing in thought. "I...kind of already had a thing for Isabella at that point, but I was sure we were forever stuck in the friend zone." He gazed wistfully out the front window. "That all changed the night I saw her sing."

"But...if you grew up together, hadn't you already seen her sing?"

"Yes, but this night was different."

Abby raised a brow. "How?"

A soft smile appeared on his face. "We were covering Drift Away that night and were playing at the Florabama Bar in Pensacola Florida. She was singing lead while I was on back up vocals and rhythm guitar. She was wearing what she usually wore: white jeans; a long sleeve purple v neck shirt and her hair tied back with the pink bow you gave me. But that night? Under the lights, the crowd cheering and singing along, the way she moved, the cut of her jeans...I dunno. Something just struck me. She was beautiful." He chuckled. "I always knew she was, but..." a soft, almost imperceptible sigh escaped his lips. "That night was unforgettable. Just like her."

Abigail smiled. "Did you ask her out?"

"I was going to, before the show, but..." he chuckled at the memory. "She asked me first." He wiped suddenly misty eyes. "I was so happy I thought I was going to burst. After thirteen years of us being "just friends," suddenly, we were more than that. We went for drinks before the show started and then later that night..."

"Later that night what?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're to young to know."

"But I'm fifteen."

"You're still to young."

"Aww." The teenager crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him a mock glare. His lips twitched into a faint smile as he took another bite of his hamburger. "What about the tattoo?" He cast a sideways glance at her. "I'm sorry Mister Flynn, but I saw the tattoo on your chest and, well, I'm going to keep wondering about it until you tell me."

He swallowed, taking a sip of coke before wiping his hands on a napkin. "Fair enough." He nodded towards the backseat. "Hand me the guitar please." Abby handed him the instrument. The lead vocalist tuned the strings a minute before gazing out the window, strumming a tune.

"I walked in the tattoo shop on the beach in Alabama. Sun hanging low and fading fast. Showed the man her lipstick kiss on that torn piece of paper. He said he'd do it for a hundred dollars cash. Yeah. Gimmie that color red and put it there where she used to lay her head. Dip that needle in the ink, let that burgundy sink, through the sunburn the weekend left behind. Labor day has come and gone, me and the boys have gotta roll and I don't know when I'll hold her again. So until then, I wanna wake up with her kiss on my skin."

"Is that how it really happened?"

"Something like that." Phineas continued to gaze out the window, his voice far away. "When I dropped her off at the airport that day, she handed me a piece of paper with her new cell number on it. I went to take it from her, but..." he chuckled, turning back to Abigail. "She took it back and kissed it, leaving a red liptstick print. She gave me a tearful good-bye and told me she loved me. When Buford, Ferb and I left town, we stopped at a beachside bar in Alabama the next day for another gig. Buford mentioned the tattoo shop and on a whim, I decided to get a tattoo." His voice softened. "The night we finally got together, she laid her head on my chest and said she could hear my heartbeat. I wanted something to remember that moment."

"Did getting the tattoo hurt?"

"It hurt quite a bit. I was sunburned from a volleyball game we played the day before. Rodrigo--the tattoo artist--told me the sunburn would make it hurt more, but I told him to go ahead and do it."

"But...you haven't seen Mom in fifteen years. You never thought of getting it removed?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because no matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of the person who touched your heart. Their memory is always with you. Erasing a tattoo doesn't erase the memory." The red head was silent for a moment, returning his gaze to the window.

"How come you never saw her again?"

"Well, your Mother left that day to meet up with Gretchen and Adyson--friends of ours--to go to Denver to visit Katie--another friend of ours--and...we lost touch. Summer Still Rocks started building momentum and, for some reason, she never came back. I called her several times for a year afterward trying to get a hold of her, but my voicemails went unanswered. She never called back and, after a while..." He scratched the back of his neck. "I thought that part of my life was over, but--"

"Then I showed up." Abigail sighed. "And made things worse."

"No. You didn't make things worse." He gave her a genuine smile. "Despite the emotional rollercoaster this trip has been, I wouldn't change a thing."

"You wouldn't?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I've gotten to know you."

The pair were silent for a moment, both staring out the window, watching as the sky slowly faded to black. Soon, several stars appeared, surrounded by a full moon.

The lead vocalist took another sip of coke, crumpling the burger wrapper before stuffing it into the fast food bag. He turned to Abby, holding it out. "It's late. You should get some sleep."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to drive for a little bit."

She stifled a yawn, throwing her trash in the fast food bag before curling up in the passenger seat. "Good night."

"Good night Abigail."

* * *

 

_Hours later_

Abigail was asleep. Which was good and bad. The open road had always been a sort of comfort. It allowed his mind to wander.

Unfortunately, it wandered to her. Isabella. Everything from that weekend replayed in his head on an endless loop:

_"Umm, Phineas? Would you like to get a few drinks before the show? Just the two of us?"_

_"Isabella, I would LOVE to go on a date with you."_

_"Hey doll, why don't you ditch this loser and come with me?"_

_"Sorry. I happen to like him. A lot."_

_"How much is a lot?"_

_"A lot a lot."_

_"Isabella, what's your middle name?"_

_"Phineas, there's...something you should know. What I said at the bar the other night? About liking you? It wasn't just the alcohol talking. I like you. A lot. I always have. Since we were three. I just never thought you'd notice."_

_"Well I'm noticing now. I'm sorry it took me so long."_

_"I'm really glad I asked you out."_

_"Me too."_

_"What do you mean you're only here for three days?"_

_"I told you; Gretchen and Adyson want to go visit Katie. We've been promising her for months. I'll only be gone a few days."_

_"But we just got together."_

_"I know. I'm sorry."_

Her kissing him for the first time. The acoustic session two days later when he dedicated a song to her. Dropping her off at the airport...

His heart lurched, the memories of hundreds of unanswered voicemails and calls he'd left her for a year after that flooding back, overwhelming him.

The pain and ache he'd managed to bottle up for fifteen years until just a few days ago when Abigail showed up on his doorstep.

He blinked through misty eyes, getting off on the next exit and pulling into a parking lot. His hands gripped the steering wheel as he took several deep breaths.

But the tears came. Phineas clamped a hand over his mouth, trying to stifle the sobs pouring out of him. His entire body shook, the last of his resolve and strength shattering on the floorboards. He started as something touched his shoulder. Looking up, he found Abigail staring at him, concern etched across her face. Her hand rested on his shoulder and he grabbed it, squeezing as the tears continued to pour. He was vaguely aware of the sound of a seatbelt being unbuckled and Abigail climbing over the center console, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"It's okay," she soothed. "It's going to be okay."


	14. Chapter 13

_The next day..._

The lead vocalist sighed as he glanced down, counting the change in his hand. "We're low on funds." He looked at Abigail, forcing a smile. "Looks like it's back to the old days."

"Huh?"

"I'll have to sing for our supper."

"But...you're the lead singer of Summer Still Rocks. Don't you get free stuff? Everybody knows who you are."

"Well..." the red head ran a hand through his hair before opening the door of the restaurant. All eyes turned to them, murmurs filling the space.

"Oh my god! Is that Phineas Flynn?! The lead singer of Summer Still Rocks?!"

"What's he doing here?"

"Isn't he supposed to be touring right now?"

"Where's Ferb Fletcher and Buford Van Stomm?"

Who's that girl with him?"

"I heard it's his long lost daughter."

"Did you hear he was in Gravity Falls yesterday?"

"Get. Out. No way!"

"Yes way! I heard it on the news!"

"Who cares?! I just want his autograph!"

He couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips. "Sometimes being famous has its perks." His expression turned serious. "But it also has its dangers. Especially now, what with the newscast and everything. In here, we're exposed. Stay close; this is the rendevous point with Thaddeus and Thor. We don't want them knowing we're here just yet."

"Then why are we here this early?"

"I need to find the bar owner. He can get me a gig. It takes time to set up the terms, the payment method and the equipment. Plus, there's setting everything up, doing sound check, tuning the instruments...there's a lot that goes into a concert most people aren't aware of."

"Whoa..." Abby's eyes widened in amazement as she followed the red head through the crowd.

"Excuse me, are you the owner of this bar?" Phineas asked, walking up to the man wiping glasses behind the bar. "I was wondering if you needed someone to play a show tonight."

The surly looking man behind the bar regarded him coolly and the lead vocalist grabbed Abigail by the arm, pulling her behind him.

"We got a coupla bands lined up, but why don't you come into the back and show me what you got."

* * *

 

_Later that night_

Phineas adjusted the microphone onstage, clearing his throat. "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is Phineas and I'm going to sing for you tonight." A few whoops and hollers went up from the crowd and he smiled wryly. "Looks like we have some good energy in here tonight. Anyway, the song I'm going to play is called Unforgettable. I'm sure we've all had that one person who's touched our lives and our hearts in ways we can't explain. I know it's true for me...and I hope it's true for you." He motioned for the band behind him to start playing. "It was a weekend in September and you probably don't remember, but I was drunk said I was sober and you said yeah right..."

Abigail sat in the back of the restaurant, watching her Dad perform onstage. She glanced down, noticing a call from an unknown number on her phone. She raised a brow as she picked it up. "Hello?" Hello?! I'm sorry, I can't hear you. What's that?" She frowned, getting up from the table and walking out the back door. "I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Is this Abigail Elisabeth Garcia-Shapiro?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes..."

"I believe you might recognize my name. I'm Thaddeus and I'm--"

"What did you do with my Mother, you creep?!" Abigail yelled into the phone. "Where is she?! Where are you holding her?! Dad and I will come find you!"

"Look up."

"...Look up?" Abigail glanced up, watching as a black, unmarked van pulled up alongside of her. The passenger side window rolled down, revealing a man with a triangle shaped head, brown curly hair and glasses. In the driver side sat a beefy looking, thick man with a shock of blonde hair.

"Hello. I'm Thaddeus." He sneered at her, his glasses glinting in the moonlight. "Now, if you'll just climb in the back of the van, we'll take you to your Mother."

Abigail stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. If she got in the van, she could see her Mother. But if she got in the van..."no thank you. I'll pass." She took several steps back.

"Oh, you really don't wanna do that."

She held the man's gaze, continuing to walk backwards. She grunted as her back hit the back wall of the bar. And then she noticed the empty driver's seat...

"Thor! Grab her!"

The blonde haired man came out of nowhere and pounced, grabbing her roughly around the waist, pulling her towards the van.

"HELP! HELP! SOMEONE HELP! MISTER FLYNN! DAD!" She kicked out, hitting the man in the jaw, sending him sprawling. She clawed at him, only to hear the sound of the other car door opening. Thaddeus grabbed her from behind.

"You're coming with us."

Abigail struggled against the man's hold. "Let me go you creep!" She kicked out, trying to dislodge his hold as he dragged her toward the van.

"Struggling will only make it worse."

"What'd you do with my Mother?!"

"Oh trust me; you're about to find--"

"Hey Thaddeus!"

The man's eyes widened in surprise as Phineas emerged from the shadows, a baseball launcher in his hand. The shock left, replaced by a narrow, steady gaze. "Well well well. If it isn't Phineas Flynn, lead singer of the hottest act on the planet."

"Let her go Thaddeus."

"Oh? And why should I? She has what I want." His gaze flicked to the contraption in the red head's hand and he scoffed. "What? You think you're going to take me out with that kiddie toy of yours?"

"This _kiddie toy_ , as you call it, sells for nineteen ninety-five on the Flynn-Fletcher shopping network, and let me tell you, it's been quite lucrative. Kids and major league baseball players love it."

"If only it weren't useless."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Phineas held the launcher up to his eye, pulling back on the release. A baseball sped out of the glove on the opposite end, hitting the van door with a loud thunk before dropping to the ground, leaving a sizable dent.

The other man's jaw dropped.

"Let Abigail go or I'll shoot again. And this time..." he raised the launcher to his eye, putting Thaddeus in the cross hairs. "I won't miss." He cocked the launcher.

"Give me the blueprint and you can have her back." He tightened his grip on Abigail. "Either you give me the blueprint for the Space Laser-Inator and I let her go, or you refuse to hand over the blueprint and I take her. And you may never see her or Isabella again."

The lead vocalist was slightly taken aback. The launcher quivered.

"Do I have your attention _now_?"

He slowly lowered the launcher. "What's your end game Thaddeus?"

"World domination of course. Once I modify that blueprint, I can eliminate every human being on the entire planet." He laughed manicially. "Then I will rule the world! Every nation will bow down to me!"

"You want the blueprint? Fine. You can have it. On one condition. Let Abigail go."

"I'll let her go when I see the blueprint."

The lead vocalist reached into the back pocket of his jeans, pulling something from it and holding it out. "Here. Now let her go."

"Finally." Thaddeus released Abigail, roughly pushing her toward Phineas.

Phineas grabbed her, shoving her behind him before raising the baseball launcher and aiming it at the other man's head. "You have the blueprint. Now get out of here."

Thaddeus put his hands up, slowly backing toward the van. "Now now, let's not be to hasty. You have your daughter back and I have the blueprint."

"Where's Isabella?"

"She's in your favorite place. The place where it all started. Danville California. But, the question is, will you have enough time to get there?" Phineas held his gaze. "You have forty-eight hours to find her. After that? Well, let's just say...it's your loss." He climbed into the van, indicating Thor to start the engine. "Later chumps."

Phineas waited until the van was out of sight before lowering the baseball launcher, his entire body shaking. Forty-eight hours. They had forty-eight hours to find Isabella. Otherwise...he didn't want to think about the otherwise. He quickly turned to Abigail. "Are you alright?"

"I think so." She took a shaky breath. "Who were those men?"

"I'll explain on the way." He took her hand, using his other hand to fish his cell phone out of a jeans pocket, quickly dialing a number. "Ferb, where are you guys?" He listened for a moment. "Drop what you're doing and meet me in Danville. Yes. The warehouse where we keep the inventions. We're going to need all the help we can get."


	15. Chapter 14

"Mister Flynn, who were those men?"

"The one with the curly hair and glasse was Thaddeus. The one with the blonde hair was Thor."

"So...you know them?" Phineas cast her a sideways glance, nodding as he changed lanes. "Any idea why they kidnapped Mom?"

"Leverage. They needed a way to get the blueprint from me and they knew if they kidnapped Isabella, I'd come looking for her."

"Why do they want the blueprint though? Why are they so set on world domination?" She frowned. "His plan was flawed though; if he eliminates everyone from the planet, then there's no one to rule over."

"Thaddeus was never good at planning. It's probably less to do with that and more to do with Flynn-Fletcher Industries."

"Huh?"

"The shopping network where Ferb and I sell our inventions. See, when Ferb and I were kids, we spent an entire summer building a lot of...really cool things. An extreme waterpark; a three level batting cage; treehouse robots; a rollercoaster through our hometown. We invented a new language for a day, caught potato gremlins...and that's only some of the things we did and built. Anyway, as Ferb and I got older, we realized that instead of giving our inventions away--which we normally did--we could sell them and make a bit of money off them. Which turned out to be incredibly lucrative. Which was good, because it's how we funded the Summer Still Rocks welcome tour."

"That's amazing..." the teenager breathed, not quite believing what she was hearing. "I definitely want to know more about all of it, but how do Thaddeus and Thor factor in?"

"They tried to compete with us when Ferb and I were kids. Or rather, Ferb and I built things for fun, the goal being to do one fun thing every day during the summer. Thaddeus and Thor wanted to build things to win and to prove they were better than us. Unfortunately, the first time we beat them, it...didn't go over well."

"What happened?"

"We competed to build a fort. They thought they had us and for a few seconds, they did. Their fort was well built, about two stories, with a slide and licorice dispenser. But our fort?" He chuckled. "Well, let's just say...Ferb and I went a little overboard. It had mulitple stories complete with a jet action wind tunnel, sound stage with full orchestra, a bowling alley, terra cotta art room and more. They weren't happy. Every summer after that, they returned to Danville, wanting to compete again. Ferb and I always said no, saying we were happy building our own things for the fun of it. But somehow, we always ended up competing with them and..." he gave an awkward cough. "Always winning. It was never intentional or mean spirited on our part; it was just what we did best. They never gave up, always trying different things. But eventually, resentment started to grow. They became jealous of our inventions and our success, everything from our minor inventions to becoming Summer Still Rocks. I guess all that resentment and jealousy finally got to them."

* * *

 

Ten hours later, they pulled up to a Warehouse just outside of Danville. Phineas put the car in park and hopped out, greeting his brother and friend.

"Hey guys! Perfect timing! How's the tour going?"

"Not great. Stacy's ticked," answered Buford. "There's been minor riots and unhappy customers the last few shows."

"You couldn't get someone else to take over?"

"We tried Irving one night, but ya know how he is; only has the one camp fire song. The crowd enjoyed it for awhile, but when he didn't have anything else ta sing, and couldn't figure out how to follow us on other songs, things got ugly."

"Tomatoes were thrown," Ferb added. "Stacy had to refund the tickets."

"That's not good. How much money have we lost?"

"Eh." The drummer shrugged. "Not that much. It's only been, what, five shows?"

"That's still a lot of money. Especially when our crowds number in the thousands."

"Small loss in comparison to what we need to do and should be focused on." Ferb nodded at Abigail. "Nice to see you're still here."

Abigail grinned. "Glad to be here. Now what's all this talk of inventions?"

* * *

 

Abby's eyes widened as she took in the contents of the warehouse. Fifty foot treehouse robots; a continent painter; a HUGE rollercoaster that spanned the entire length of the warehouse; a mechanical shark; some super hero suit reminiscient of Iron Man and a host of other inventions and gadgets she could never hope to take in.

"Okay guys, grab only what you think we'll need. This is just Thaddeus and Thor; no need to repeat the full scale war of the Second Dimension."

Ferb studied the inventions, pointing to the baseball launchers, Beak suit and treehouse robots.

"No good. Remember, we have to transport this stuff. It will take to long to break down the robots."

"Rover?" Buford suggested, pointing to a huge robot dog.

"Think small."

"Oh come on! Like anything ya guys make is small!"

"Good point..." the red head studied the inventions. "Okay, baseball launchers, plenty of baseballs and the Beak Suit. Grab everything and head out to the tour bus."

"I have a better mode of transportation." Ferb smirked, walking over to a corner of the warehouse and turning on a light.

"Dude, is that...?"

"Our old tour van?" Buford answered. "Yes. Yes it is. We got kicked outta the last concert venue we were at, so Ferb's been fixin it up. Thought ya might like to take it for a spin after all these years."

"And it will be less conspicious than a large tour bus in apprehending Thaddeus and Thor," Ferb pointed out.

Phineas smiled, running a hand down the length of the vehicle. "Oh if this van could talk."

"What would it say?" Abigail asked.

"Well..." the red head was thoughtful for a moment. "He was there when we started, back when we were eighteen. Opening up for Love Handel, Buford, Isabella, Ferb and me. He'd say I was a scared kid..." he turned his attention to the teenager. "if this van could talk."

"You were scared?" Abigail asked.

“I was that night. We thought there was going to be a huge crowd there, but it was mostly our friends and families. It wasn’t bad; I was just hoping for more.”

“See, Dinnerbell got the idea to form a band our last semester of high school.” Buford pointed between himself and Ferb. “We thought it was just gonna be for that semester, but—“

“I wanted to take it further,” Phineas interrupted. “I knew we could be more than just a high school band.” His eyes sparked. “We could be something great.”

_We were starry-eyed dreamers_   
_bouncing off the walls_   
_Oh the stories he could tell_   
_if this van could talk_

“But it wasn’t always easy,” Ferb added. He turned to his brother. "Remember the night one of the tires blew and we stayed up most of the night pushing the van to the nearest gas station?"

"How could I forget?" Buford smirked. "Isabella woke me up with a bullhorn app ta help come and move it. She wouldn't let me go back ta sleep."

"It got your attention."

"And despite the setback, we made it to the fair."

"Remember the corndogs we ate there?"

Phineas grinned. "That was a long night."

Ferb chuckled. "For all of us."

_Oh the stories he could tell_

_if this van could talk..._

The red head smiled, singing. "Late night conversations, full of drunk philosophies."

"On politics and religion, football and family," Buford chimed in. He smiled at the fifteen year old. "I got together with Gretchen--my girlfriend--the weekend we was tourin in New York. That was the most amazin night of my life."

Abigail smiled.

"Y'know, it's been nineteen years since we've set out on this adventure. We've had our ups and downs on the road, but somehow..." the lead vocalist smirked at his brother, the two singing in unison. "We caught lightning in a bottle, somehow we survived it all." He was thoughtful for a moment. " _I've_ survived it all." He looked at his bandmates. "We're not just friends. We're a family. And now, Isabella..." a tear fell, causing him to momentarily choke up.

Abigail rushed over, wrapping him in a hug. "Don't worry Mister Flynn. We'll get her back. We've come this far. We can't give up now."

He wiped his eyes and smiled. "As I leave the stage, still high from the applause..." he returned the hug, only to pull back, staring into her eyes. "He'd tell you that I love you, if this van could talk."

"I love you too Mister Flynn."

"Call me Dad." The red head's eyes filled with tears as she embraced him, holding on tight. "Let's find Mom."

"Dang it Dinnerbell," Buford groused good naturedly. "Stop makin me cry!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eh. I don't think I'll ever be happy with this chapter. But, in all fairness, I wasn't happy with the AU version of this chapter either. Anyway, first of all, if you're still reading this, thank you very much for sticking with the story. Second, no updates next week; I have a friend in a town and will be busy. So expect the next update Sunday October 13th.


	16. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! And I meant Sunday October 14 instead of the 13. Oh well. Enjoy guys!

"Okay Abby, you ready?"

"Yeah!" The fifteen year old grinned, sticking her head between the passenger and driver seats.

"Now, what do you need from us to make your GPS Tracker work?"

"I need a picture of Thaddeus and Thor. Or just one of them. And if there isn't a photo, then a DNA sample."

"Should be pretty easy ta find a photo." Buford took out his phone, doing a quick internet search. "Found one." He held the photo out to Abigail, who scanned it with the tracker before waiting for the image to register. "It says they're in a Pistachio Warehouse in Jefferson County."

"Awesome! That's not to far from here! Just a few miles away," the red head cheered. He turned the key in the ignition and hit the gas. "Let's roll."

They were about to pull onto the freeway when Stacy called.

"Hey Stace," the lead vocalist greeted. "Long time no see."

"Phineas, I'm so mad at you, I could--" the lead vocalist muted the car phone for Abigail's sake. "...and all the riots and getting kicked out of the last concert venue and refunding the tickets and Irving?! Irving with his--" another push on the mute button. "...I know this roadtrip is important, but for heaven's sake! If you could put in an appearance at ONE SHOW, it would make my life a WHOLE LOT EASIER!"

"Where's the next show?"

"Danville," Ferb supplied. He reached over, pushing the mute button on their end so Stacy couldn't hear them. "We have thirty-five hours before we need to find Isabella. Surely we could do one show."

"In our own hometown," Buford added. "It might make for a nice homecomin show."

Phineas unmuted the phone. "So...Danville Stadium in forty-five minutes? We're on the highway; we just need to get off and turn around."

"Phineas, I needed you guys here five minutes ago."

"Okay okay. We'll be there. Not to worry Stacy. Tell Django and Irving to start getting things ready and make sure Django has the golf cart ready. We should probably put in an appearance at the Parking Lot Party before we go in and get ready."

"That's all I ask." The phone was hung up without further comment.

"What's a parking lot party?" Abigail asked.

"It's like a tailgate party for music nerds," Buford answered. "Lotta poeple sittin out in the parkin lot before the show gettin buzzed and enjoyin the atmosphere."

"It's pretty fun," Phineas added. "It's also a great way to meet the fans who come out for our shows. We've had some fans come all the way from other countries to see us."

Ferb pointed to the gas meter on the dashboard and the red head blushed.

"Oh right. We should probably fill up first. No need to make Stacy any madder than she already is."

* * *

 

_Forty-five minutes later_

"Abigail, welcome to the backside of Danville Stadium, home of the Danville Mudslingers."

"Whoa..." the teenager's eyes widened as they walked into the tunnel leading underneath the stadium.

"Phineas, my man!"

"Hey Django!" The red head grinned, walking over and bro-hugging his friend. "How are you? Last time I saw you was in New York; you get over that drinking binge?"

"It took him awhile." Irving rolled his eyes as he walked up. "It was a long night." He scowled at the other man.

Django shrugged. "Couldn't help it. You know how long it takes to come down from a show high."

"Do I ever." Phineas greeted Irving before turning his attention to Abigail. "Abby, I'd like you to meet my friends Irving and Django. Django handles designing and selling of our merchandise; Irving handles sound check and lighting."

"Hey," the two greeted in unison.

"Guys, this is Abigail. My daughter."

"Your daughter?" Irving asked in surprise. "Who's your Mom?"

"Isabella."

The men's jaws collectively hit the ground.

"This is why you've been on a roadtrip? To find Isabella?" Django asked.

Phineas raised a brow. "Yeah. Didn't Ferb and Buford tell you guys?"

"They said you were on a roadtrip and would be gone for a week or so, but they didn't tell us why."

"I thought discretion would be the best course of action," Ferb defended.

The lead vocalist waved the comment away. "That's probably for the best. Besides, there's been enough media coverage since Gravity Falls that everyone probably knows anyway." He turned to Django. "I hate to cut this visit short, but I think we should do some goodwill touring out in the parking lot."

"Sure." Django grinned, twirling a key in his hand. "Just tell me where to stop."

"Okay, Irving, you start doing soundcheck and tell Stacy we're here. Ferb and Buford, you guys come with me. And Abby?" She blinked at him and he grinned. "You're with us. Tonight you're an honorary member of Summer Still Rocks. You'll get to see how we get things started and even perform with us."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?!"

"It's pretty excitin," Buford said as he squeezed himself into the waiting golf cart. "Ya don't wanna miss it." He motioned her inside as Ferb and Phineas squeezed in, Django at the wheel. "We're gonna introduce ya to your first parkin lot party."

* * *

 

"Hey guys!" Phineas greeted the fans as Django rolled into the parking lot. All around, people were having barbeques, drinking beers and listening to music. Some sat in lawnchairs while others sat in truck beds, partying it up.

"Oh my gosh he's back!" The fans swarmed the golf cart, a hundred voices talking at once.

"Phineas, I can't believe you came back! The shows haven't been the same without you! Who was that yutz with the campfire song?"

"Oh Mister Fletcher, I think you're wonderful. Could you hold my baby?" Ferb obliged the request, stepping out of the golf cart and taking the baby for a photo op.

Buford climbed out of the other side of the golf cart and was met by a little boy. "Mister Van Stomm, can you sign my drumsticks? I wanna be just like you when I grow up."

"Sure. But before I sign 'em, how about an impromptu lesson first? If ya wanna drum like me, ya gotta practice. A lot."

"I think we're good to stay here Django," Phineas said. "If you wouldn't mind setting up the merchandise inside, that'd be great." He turned to the fifteen year old. "Come on Abby."

She hopped out of the cart, giving Django an ear to ear grin. "Bye Django. Nice meeting you."

"Bye Abby. Enjoy the parking lot party."

The crowd momentarily quieted, several heads turning in Abigail's direction.

"Hey, it's the girl from the news. The one from Gravity Falls."

"She sang really good from what I saw on the newscast."

"Yeah, but who is she?"

The fifteen year old took a step back, hiding behind the lead vocalist.

"Everyone, I'd like you all to meet my daughter Abigail." Phineas motioned for her to come out from behind him. "As an honorary member of Summer Still Rocks, she's performing with us tonight."

The crowd oohhed and aahhhed, peppering her with a million questions.

"Have you been touring with them this whole time?!"

"I saw you sing in Gravity Falls. That was _tight_."

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Me?" She pointed to herself and the enthusiastic fan nodded. She turned to the red head. "Dad, can I?"

"Sure. Signing autographs is one of the best things about being a performer."

"Hey guys!" Someone yelled over the noise. "How about a song?!"

"I thought you'd never ask. Guys?" Buford and Ferb saluted, Ferb handing the infant back to its mother while Buford borrowed the little boy's drumsticks. The lead vocalist walked over to a guy grilling burgers. "Hi there! What's your name?"

"Johnny."

The red head started singing. "Johnny's firing up his Coleman Grill."

Across the way, Ferb opened someone's cooler, peeking inside. "We got thirty-two tall boys on the chill." He winked. "Yeah fourteen of them's mine."

The crowd laughed.

"A little Love Handel on the radio."

"Hey, we're just catching a buzz before the show," someone said.

The band members grinned, singing in unison. "We ain't playing nothing slow! At the parking lot party. Tailgate buzz just sippin on suds ain't ever to early, to light one up fill up your cup. Cause there ain't no party like a free party and after the party, the after party, at the parking lot party."

"Yeah!" Phineas grinned. "Wish we could stay and sing longer everyone, but we should really save our voices for the show. We'll see you guys inside. Otherwise, enjoy the show from out here!" He motioned the others to follow him to another tunnel leading under the stadium.


	17. Chapter 16

"Oh my gosh! That was so much fun!" Abigail bounded down the tunnel, excitement in her eyes.

"Oh, ya ain't seen nuthin yet," said Buford.

"This is only the beginning," Ferb added.

"You mean there's _more_?!"

"Sure! For instance, right now, we have to do soundcheck. Irving handles that, but we need to go onstage and make sure the sound levels are right. We don't want to blow out our fans eardrums, but we also don't want the music so quiet nobody can hear us." Phineas lead them out to the main area of the stadium. "Ah, home sweet home." Him and the others walked up a few steps to a makeshift stage sitting in the middle of the field. He walked over to one of the microphones, tapping it. "Testing, testing. Irving, can you hear me?"

A response reverberated around the stadium. "Loud and clear. Mic three's all set. How about mics two and one?" Buford and Ferb tested the others. "Those sound good. Instrument check please."

"Where is he?" Abigail asked.

"Up in that booth." Phineas tuned his guitar, then pointed across the stadium. "He's kinda hard to see, but he's there." He spoke into the mic. "Lead guitar's tuned."

"Bass guitar tuned," Ferb added.

"Drums are good," Buford said.

"Fantastic. Tell me how the lights and jumbo tron look." A few spotlights and some general stage lighting winked on, the jumbo tron above their heads lighting up.

"Looks good Irving. Though the light is a bit harsh right...here." Phineas moved to one corner of the stage, motioning to a spot. "Maybe tone that one down a bit."

"You got it." The light changed to a softer color and the red head smiled.

"Perfect."

"Okay, you guys are good to go. You should go see Django's merchandise. His new designs for the band are great!"

"Will do." The bandmembers and Abigail went to hop off the stage, only for Stacy to run in, panic on her face.

"Phineas! Thank goodness! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" She took a deep breath. "Nobody's bought any tickets yet!"

"Stacy, calm down," he reassured. "It's only an hour before we start. You know the drill; last minute ticket sales. Besides, there's a ton of people out in the parking lot who probably bought them online and are waiting until just before it starts."

"Seriously, ya worry to much," said Buford. "Ya gotta learn ta chill."

"Oh, Stacy, this is my daughter Abigail," Phineas introduced.

"Yeah hi," Stacy said distractedly. "Look, whereever you guys are going, do it quick; I need you in makeup and wardrobe in ten minutes."

"No problem."

* * *

 

"Wow! Django, I think these are your best designs yet!" Phineas held up a yellow t-shirt with a red sun on the front of it. Scrawled across the sun in white lettering were the words Summer Still Rocks Concert Tour. When he turned it around, red lettering listed all their tour stops.

"And this is pretty amazin too," Buford added, picking up a black spiked bracelet with the words 'I survived a Summer Still Rocks concert' written on it. "Dude, I kinda want one."

Django laughed. "Thought you'd appreciate that one Bufe. But you can't have it; it's for the fans."

"I know. Still cool though."

Ferb smiled, picking up a baseball cap similiar to the t-shirt, the tour stops circling the entire brim of the hat, getting smaller and smaller towards the end. He gave Django a thumbs up.

"Thanks guys."

"Well, we'd love to stay and look at the rest of it, but if we're not in wardrobe, hair and makeup in five, Stacy's gonna throw a fit."

"No worries man. Do what you gotta do. You know where I'll be."

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Summer Still Rocks was standing under the stage, waiting to go on.

"So how does this work?" Abigail asked, holding a tambourine.

"When the music starts playing from onstage, Stacy gives us the cue and we start singing and playing our instruments as the stage rises. It's a really cool way to make an entrance."

"Get ready, cause I think it's comin," Buford said, glancing up as he took his position behind the drums.

"Guys, you're on," Stacy called. She smiled as the stage began to rise. "Good luck!"

Phineas and Ferb counted out as they grabbed their guitars, singing. "Hey hey hey."

"Oh Ferb is getting his guitar out," Phineas sang.

"It's about time to pass that shine around," Ferb joined in.

"The show's about to start, but we ain't about to leave."

"Ohhhh."

The rising platform reached the stage and Abby was met with a stadium full of screaming, yelling, singing fans, bright lights and loud music blasting from several speakers.

"It's one hell of a time and it's all for free!" The band members sang, rocking out as Abigail rocked out with them, playing the tambourine. "At the parking lot party! Tailgate buzz just sipping on suds ain't ever to early! To light on up, fill up your cup! Cause there ain't no party like the pre-party and after the party the--"

The lights and sound in the stadium died, leaving the entire venue in total darkness. A wave of uncertainty rolled through the crowd.

"Oh my god! What happened?!"

"Must be a power outage."

"Any idea what's going on?" Ferb asked, his eyes sweeping the restless crowd.

"I can take a guess." The lead vocalist backed up, motioning the others to huddle around Abigail.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I have no idea. Just stay here and don't move." He put his hands up in defense, Buford and Ferb doing the same.

"Dinnerbell..."

"Buford, I don't know."

"Wait for it..."

The silence became deafening. Suddenly, the jumbo tron above the stage lit up and a man's face appeared. "Well well well, what do we have here?"

"Thaddeus." The word came out a whisper as the red head glared at the man on the jumbo tron. "What do you want now Thaddeus?"

"Oh nothing much. Just world domination. And your wife and daughter." The camera panned back, showing an unusual contraption sitting in the middle of an unknown room. "See, we were going to do this at the old Pistachio Warehouse in Jefferson County. But then I realized, hey, why not move things up a bit? So here's the new plan. We are somewhere in this stadium. As you can see, the Space Laser Inator is ready to go, ready to eliminate everything it touches. Including..." the camera panned to a corner of the unknown space. "Her."

"Isabella." His heart twisted at the sight of Isabella tied to a chair with a gag in her mouth. She struggled against the holds, trying to speak.

"Mom!" Abigail let out a cry, trying to run out of the circle.

"Abby, no. It's to dangerous." The lead vocalist grabbed her.

"Oh come on, let her go. It'll be fun to watch."

"How much time do we have?" He asked the question through gritted teeth.

"You have fifteen minutes to find her. And then, your girlfriend will be eliminated." The jumbo tron winked off, the lights coming back on inside the stadium.

He didn't waste any time. "Ladies and Gentlemen, as you can see, we have something pressing we need to do. This concert is officially on hold." Phineas turned, placing two fingers in his mouth and emitting a shrill whistle as they ran down the steps of the stage. "Django! Irving! Go out to the van out back and grab what's inside! We'll meet you inside! You heard Thaddeus! We only have fifteen minutes to find Isabella before she's eliminated!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUUN! Stay tuned...


	18. Chapter 17

_Fourteen minutes later_

"Any luck?"

"No man; we've looked all over and we can't find her."

"We only have one minute left!" Abigail panicked, the baseball launcher shaking in her hands. "What if we don't find Mom? What if they eliminate her before we get there? What if--"

"Guys, I think I hear somethin." Buford shushed them, listening. "Over there." The group turned, finding a cracked open doorway across the hall. "That's gotta be them. Phineas, go. We'll back ya up."

"I'm going too." Abigail started to run after Phineas, only for Buford to grab her.

"Uh-uh. It's to dangerous. Let your Dad go first."

"Dad, be careful."

Phineas nodded in determination. "I will." He cast a final glance over his shoulder before taking several quick steps to the cracked open door. He peeked inside...and fired a warning shot, effectively knocking Thaddeus back a foot.

"Hey! What the--"

"Don't touch that button." Phineas opened the door, stepping inside, cocking the baseball launcher. "Thaddeus, you don't wanna do this."

"Oh, do I?" The other man gave him a smirk, reaching for a button on the machine, only to yank his hand back as another baseball whizzed past. "OW!"

"Let Isabella go."

"Oh? And why should I?" Thaddeus motioned to where Isabella was sitting, tied to a chair in the corner. "The way I see it, she's leverage."

"You already got what you wanted. I gave you the blueprint."

"Yes, but not your daughter."

"What do you want with Abigail?"

"Your daughter inherited your ability to build things. If she works for us, she could be invincible. So hand over your daughter and Isabella goes free. Or don't, and Isabella will be eliminated. Either way, I win."

"Not a chance creep." Abigail appeared beside him, firing off a shot. "I'll never work for you."

"Suit yourselves." Thaddeus reached for a lever on the Space Laser Inator--only to be knocked completely off his feet from behind. He turned around, noticing the Beak suit hovering in mid air. "THOORRR! GET THEM!

"Abby, you go rescue Mom; Buford, Ferb and I will hold them back."

"What about Irving?"

"He'll dismantle the invention. Now go."

Abigail took off running, dodging Thor and sliding underneath him. She skidded to a halt in front of Isabella, tears in her eyes. She quickly untied Isabella, removing the gag from her mouth, the two embracing.

'WHAT?!" Thaddeus wailed, lunging for Isabella, only for Django--in the Beak suit--to pick him up, climbing to just below the ceiling and then dropping him.

"Time to take out the trash."

"AHHHHH!" The man landed with a thump on Thor, the two rolling several feet.

"Irving! The self destruct button!" Phineas yelled, racing toward Isabella and Abby, firing the baseball launcher as he went. "Abigail! Isabella! Run!"

Abigail ran, hiding behind a stack of crates. But when she looked behind her, her Mom wasn't there. "Mom?" She peeked out from behind a crate, her eyes widening. Her Mother stood next to Phineas, baseball launcher in hand, the two firing relentlessly at the Space Laser Inator.

"Why didn't you tell me I had a daughter?!"

"It's complicated!" Isabella fired a baseball at the Inator, attempting to shut it off.

"What's complicated about it?!" Another shot was fired as Phineas yelled over the meelee. "Django! Grab Thor!"

"Not the time Phin!"

"And telling me before wasn't a better time?! Not answering over a hundred voicemails and missed calls?! Irving! How's that self destruct button coming? Kinda running out of time here! Isabella, to your left!"

"On it!" Isabella shot at Thaddeus, hitting the ground and rolling before jumping back up. "Why do you always have to build indestructible inventions?!"

"This one wasn't ours! IRVING! SELF DESTRUCT BUTTON! NOW!"

"How do you even know there's a self destruct button?!"

Phineas bit back an exasperated groan. "Because it's not our invention! There was a self destruct button on the blueprint!"

"We surrender! We surrender! We surrender!" Silence reigned in the small space as Ferb, Buford, Phineas and Isabella lowered their baseball launchers. Django hovered above them, still dressed in the Beak suit; Irving slid down the invention in surprise, giving a soft oof as he hit the concrete floor.

"I unplugged it."

The red head refrained from rolling his eyes, calmly walking over and hitting a bright red button on the Space Laser Inator with his fist. The whole thing poofed out of existence. He walked over to where Thaddeus and Thor lay huddled on the ground, aiming the baseball launcher at them. "Either tell me what your real end game is or get out." He glared at them and the pair leapt up, running out of the stadium, bowling each other over in an attempt to get out the door.

Phineas took several deep breaths, his legs shaking from the exertion as he threw the baseball launcher on the ground, turning to Isabella. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I'm alright."

"Why didn't you tell me I had a daughter? I've waited for you to come back for fifteen years Isabella. Fifteen years. Do you have any idea how much it hurt me when you left and never came back? The first year you were gone, I called you everyday. For a year. That's three hundred and sixty-five days Isabella. But you _never answered_. I didn't know what happened to you or where you went or even if you were okay. The Fireside Girl alums didn't know anything. You completely dropped off the planet and out of my life." She blinked at him. "Did the weekend we finally got together in Pensacola mean anything to you or was I just a drunk fling?"

"That night and that weekend meant everything to me. You weren't just a drunk fling."

"How was I supposed to know that?" Isabella stared at him. "And why hide? You _know_ me Isabella. You know I would never abandon you for anything. You could have--no, you _should_ have come back and told me I had a daughter."

"Would you have stayed?"

"Of course I would have stayed! I love you Isabella! I've loved you even before I really knew I did! I'll never stop loving you. Why do you think I travelled all this way to come find you? To help _our_ daughter find you?"

A tear fell, trickling down the woman's cheek. She hastily wiped it away. "Phineas, thank you for rescuing me. I owe you everything."

"What you owe me is an explanation." His eyes searched hers, pleading. "The least you could do is tell me why you never came back."

"I-we-we have to go." She turned to her daughter. "Come on Abby; we're going home."

"But, aren't you gonna answer him? Dad asked you a question."

"Now young lady."

The fifteen year old stared at the red head a moment before following Isabella out the door.

"Dude, tough break." Buford clapped the red head on the shoulder. "She ain't worth it anyway."

"Are you alright?" Ferb asked.

"No." His bandmates looked at each other. "But in a weird sort of way, I think I finally found closure. Besides, if there's one thing I've learned from being on the road, it's that life has a way of moving you on whether you like it or not." He forced a smile. "Come on guys; we have a tour to get back to."


	19. Chapter 18

"Good evening everyone." Phineas stood at the microphone, looking out at a considerably thinner crowd than before. "Sorry for the interruption. We had some...uh...technical difficulties. For those of you that stuck around, thank you. That means the world to us. I realize it's late, but if you could stay for one last song, we'd really appreciate it. I'd like to dedicate this song to a very special woman named Isabella, whom I saw tonight for the first time in fifteen years. It may not have worked out between us, but..." the red head momentarly choked up, quickly regaining his composure. "Isabella, I just want you to know..." he took a deep breath. "Wherever you are, I'm forever yours. Faithfully."

He dipped his head, waiting for the song cue from Ferb before lifting his eyes to the stars, blinking back tears as he sang. "Highway run, into the midnight sun. Wheels go round and round, you're on my mind. Restless hearts, sleep alone tonight, sending all my love along the wires. They say that the road ain't no place to start a family. Up until now it's been just me. And lovin a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. I'm forever yours...faithfully..."

* * *

 

"Ugh! This stupid stadium!" Isabella let out an exasperated scream, turning a corner. "How do we get out of here?!"

"Maybe the exit's that way..." Abigail said hesitantly. "I think we passed it..."

"We already tried that way. Maybe this way..."

_Through space and time_   
_always another show_   
_wondering where you are_   
_lost without you..._

"I think we're under the stage." Abigail noticed the rising platform sunk into the floor. "They're performing." She pointed upwards. "That's where the music's coming from." The fifteen year old looked around, finding her Mother standing at the entrance to the tunnel that lead onto the field. "Mom?"

_And being apart ain't easy on this love affair_   
_two strangers learned to fall in love again_   
_I had the joy of rediscovering you..._

Isabella stood transfixed. Phineas stood onstage, pouring his entire heart into the song, his emotions evident on his face. It was the most heartfelt, earnest performance she had ever seen him give. No flourishes, no fancy lighting, no big production. Just him and his friends and the music. How it used to be.

She wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffed.

"Faithfully." Isabella started at the sound of her daughter's voice. "He's forever yours. Mom, why won't you talk to him?"


	20. Chapter 19

_Eight months later_

"Irving, can we get another sound check on mic three? I'm hearing a little distortion."

"No problem." Phineas crossed his arms, eyes roaming the stage set up as Irving scurried around in the booth upstairs. "Mic three ready. Try it now."

He tapped the microphone, speaking into it. "Testing, testing, one two three." He smiled. "Perfect."

"Anything else need to be checked?"

"No. We're good. Thanks buddy."

"Okay, so over the next few weeks, you have gigs in Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho, New Jersey and...Florida?" Stacy walked onstage, frowning at the clipboard in her hand. "Pensacola? That can't be right." She flipped up a few pages, frowning. "Florabama." She turned her attention to the lead vocalist.

"It was booked months ago. Can't really back out now."

"Phineas, I didn't book this gig."

"Well maybe _I_ did."

The woman took several steps toward him, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Are you sure? As band manager, I can call around, book a different gig. I know how tough things have been the last several months."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You've been quiet. It's not like you."

He shrugged off her hands. "Don't cancel the Florabama gig."

The band manager held up her hands in surrender, turning to walk off. "Fine. But it's your funeral."

"Stacy."

She turned around. "What?"

"Leave a ticket for Isabella at Will Call. For the Florabama gig."

"Phineas, we've been over this."

"Leave a ticket."

Stacy turned around, walking off without another word.

"Bit harsh, wasn't it?" Buford asked. "Ya realize you've been actin extra moody since 'the incident.'" He put air quotes around the last two words.

"I'm fine." The bassist and drummer exchanged dubious looks as the red head sat down on a stool at the front of the stage, placing his guitar on his knee. "We need to practice for night. Buford, count out."

"What song we practicin?"

"Don't it."

The drummer counted out a beat on his drumsticks. "One, two, three, four."

Phineas began strumming the familiar tune. "My first stop was Danny's Music shop, dropped a pretty penny for a cheap acoustic with a song in it. Had a quick right hand and old band, I thought good friends would make a good band..." he turned back to his bandmates and smiled. "And I've been right and I've been wrong, somewhere in between for so long. Lived the night, missed the light, that I've been shown in. Life has its way of keeping you strong, don't it?" The lead vocalist stopped playing. "I think that's good. You guys can head back to the hotel; Stacy can take care of the rest until then."

The drummer and bassist exchanged looks.

"Ya sure?" asked Buford. "Can't hurt ta practice more."

"I'm sure."

Buford shrugged, setting his drumsticks in their case.

"Are you coming?" Ferb asked, unplugging one of the amps.

"In a minute. I'm gonna check some of our equipment. I'll meet you back at the hotel." Phineas furrowed his brow, glancing up at the control booth. "Irving, you can go too. Shut off the main lights, but keep the ones back here turned on."

"You got it!" Irving saluted, disappearing from view. A few seconds later, the lights in the concert venue winked off.

"I dunno what he's doin," Buford griped, following Ferb backstage. "I know he's heart broken, but he should come back with us. The least we could do is buy him a beer or somethin. You know, maybe take his mind of things."

"He has to do it himself. This is bigger than you and I. It's not a band-aide fix," Ferb pointed out. "It'll take some time to heal."

"Yeah, but..." the drummer trailed off, his ears picking up the sound of chords coming from the stage. He slowly crept toward the wings. He started to step out, only for Ferb to put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

Phineas stood onstage, the lead guitar slung over his shoulder. His fingers played the notes and chords on practiced feel and instinct. As he played, he stared into the dark concert venue, a far away look in his eyes.

"I packed it all on a whim, threw a Love Handel CD in my brother's old, rusty 'stang, he swore we'd never make it." A smirk curled his lip. "I left my home, let my Mama down, had my heart broke in our hometown..." he stopped playing. "Damn all this music." He started again. "It's the sweetest highs, the lowest lows, wanting her to say yes...and being told no." He sighed, running a hand through his hair, restlessly tapping his foot. Finally, he shrugged. "Enough of that."

He dug his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and scrolled through it. He found something, scanned the phone, and put it back in his pocket. He started strumming a different tune. "I still feel twenty-one, most of the time. I still raise a little cain with the boys. Honky tonks and pretty women, lord I'm still right there with 'em, singing above the crowd and the noise." He chuckled, a genuine smile on his face. "Sometines I feel like Jesse James, still trying to make a name. Knowing nothing's gonna change what I am. I was a young troubadour, when I rode in on a song and I'll be an old troubadour when I'm gone..."

In the wings, the drummer and bassist exchanged a silent high five.

"He's gonna be okay," said Buford.

Ferb smirked, unable to help himself. "Yes. Yes he is."


	21. Chapter 20

_Three weeks later_

"Mom? What's wrong?" Abigail sat down on the couch next to her mother. "Are you okay?" No response. "You miss Dad don't you?" Isabella nodded. "How come you never told him about me?"

Isabella took a deep breath. "Your Father and I had been friends since we were three. I always had feelings for him and the summer him and Ferb created all those inventions, I was a part of it. And I stayed a part of it. Until high school." She sighed. "When we started high school, I decided it was time to move on. Stop trying to get him to notice me and just be friends. But I couldn't always be around him; it hurt to much seeing him. But when he decided he wanted to start a band and travel, I couldn't help myself. I jumped on board the crazy train with him, giving up my dream of going to college." She chuckled. "Traveling with him, Ferb and Buford sounded a lot more fun. I knew it would be an adventure."

The teenager smiled.

"We played numerous gigs as part of the Summer Still Rocks Welcome Tour, playing every place from little dive bars in New Mexico to a children's birthday party in Texas. And through it all, Phineas and I remained best friends. But on the road, things changed; being on the road brings people closer together. I had always been close with Ferb and Buford--they were two of my best friends growing up--but being closer to Phineas made the feelings harder to ignore. The night we were at the Florabama Bar bar for a gig, I decided to make a move. So I asked him out for drinks, specifying it was just the two of us. He looked at me blankly, still oblivious and I clarified for him, telling him I was asking him out." She smiled. "And he said yes. We went out for drinks, played our gig and..." a far away look entered her eyes. "That night, I fell in love with him all over again."

"Is that why you didn't tell him about me? Because you were in love with him?"

She shook her head. "Your Father was trying to make it big in the music business. Everytime we performed, I could see it in his eyes. He had that _passion_. That _fire_. I couldn't tell him about you because he would have put his career on hold. I didn't want that for him. When I left to go visit Katie in Denver, I found out I was pregnant with you, so I stayed in Denver with Katie for a week, then moved here to Pensacola. I thought it would be easier to be away from your Father. He wouldn't have to worry about being a Dad and could focus on his music. And hopefully, I could forget about him and move on."

"But you haven't forgotten about him. And he hasn't forgotten about you." Isabella blinked at her. "When I was traveling with him, he told me how you two got together. He told me he wanted to ask you out that night, but you beat him to it. How you looked beautiful under the stage lights when you were singing Drift Away."

Isabella started to cry. "He did?"

"He did." Abigail touched her Mom's shoulder. "Mom, you have to go back and tell him what you just told me. He deserves to know and he'll understand. You heard what he said at Danville stadium; he still loves you. He's playing a gig at Florabama tonight; go see him. Thaddeus and Thor are gone, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine until you get back."

Isabella wiped a tear from her eye, wrapping her daughter in a hug. "When did you get so wise?"

Abigail pulled away, looking her Mom in the eyes. "I learned from the best."

* * *

 

"Well now have you ever been down the old back road, on time borrowed? It's a trip, it's a bitch, it's an on and off light switch nobody follows. Everybody's got their own past skeletons to stash..." the red head smiled. "Don't look back, if you do, laugh. Life has it's way of moving you on..." he raised his head, pausing as a familiar woman walked into the Florabama bar, singing along with him. "Don't it?"

He set the guitar to the side, grabbing the microphone and hopping down to the floor. "Sitting here at the Florabama, bought to open up a big 'ol can of good times, unwind, fall in and out of love..." Phineas lowered the microphone as he stopped in front of her. "In the same night."

"Oh Phineas."

He took her hand in his. "Please stay. We could go out for coffee. Make a new start." He smiled warmly at her. "And get reaquainted."

"I would love that."

"Meet me Wednesday for coffee?"

"It's a date."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Wanna know how the date shakes out? Stay tuned; this isn't the end of Lost Connections. Lost Connections will be continued in the next story, titled Five by Five. Expect it sometime Sunday.


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